UFC Vegas 59: Santos vs. Hill Recap

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Thiago Santos of Brazil is kicked by Jon Jones of the United States during their UFC Light Heavyweight Title bout. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/AFP

If you were not able to watch this card over the weekend, you definitely missed out! UFC Vegas 59: Santos vs. Hill consisted of every single fight ending inside the distance, and if you ask me, I believe that is quite impressive. 

This week, I wanted to recap the main event between Thiago Santos and Jamahal Hill because Hill has shown an immense amount of power and resiliency in his fighting which has helped him make his way up the UFC rankings rapidly

Read below for my UFC recap. 

Thiago Santos vs. Jamahal Hill 

UFC Light Heavyweight Main Event Bout


Santos vs. Hill Odds Recap

Although Thiago Santos has been a resilient fighter inside of the UFC, it’s clear he is not out of his prime. On Saturday night, you could say the top-rated oddsmakers agreed on pricing the Brazilian with UFC odds at +285.

Jamahal Hill, on the other hand, was the juiced -360 favorite and it’s very clear why. Hill not only had the advantage with his younger age but his speed and power as well – something Santos has lost over the years.


Santos vs. Hill Fight Recap

Round 1

Santos began the round with some low kicks. He shot for a takedown, but Hill defended well. Hill was keeping a steady pace, reading his opponent, slowly pushing forward. 

They both swing and miss, but Hill then followed through with a jab that connected. 

Another takedown attempt again from Santos; he was unsuccessful, but they are now with Hill’s back against the fence. 

A Low Blow

Hill landed a nasty knee to the groin and the fight was paused. They resumed and Hill missed a head kick; Santos countered with a piercing leg kick. Now we got to see more leg kicks from Santos. 

Wheel kick from Santos! He missed but countered hard with a right before the round ended. 

Round 2

Hill began the round this time with some low kicks and stung Santos a bit. They both exchange head kicks and jabs; a body kick from Santos landed. 

Another takedown attempt from Santos, and now they’re on the ground with Hill’s back against the fence. But Hill was successful in evading and getting back to his feet quickly

Santos aimed for a single-leg attempt, then spun, and Hill socked him with a heavy right hook. They swarmed, clinched up against the fence; Santos with a heavy knee, and they separated. 

Two Minutes to Go

Hill missed a head kick, again. And Santos replied with a jab to the body. Hill picked up his combos with a lead jab and right hook. 

Santos with a big rush! But he got cracked in return by a right hook. Hill with another double jab, one-two. And they exchanged heavily at the end.

Round 3

Hill landed a body kick at the beginning of this round, and Santos immediately brought the fight to the ground against the cage. But, it did not last long until they were back on their feet. 

Santos looked aggressive this round, aiming for takedown after takedown but Hill was doing well with his defending. 

Hill’s back against the fence until finally a successful takedown from Santos. And the process began again; Hill working his way back to his feet with his back against the fence. 

Up and Down

With two minutes left in the round, Santos was successful with another takedown and he looked for the back of Hill. But again, Hill stood back up and proceeded to land some heavy knees

Hill stuffed another takedown, and Santos attempted to swing until Hill clinched up. But this allowed Santos to switch levels. 

Hill managed to get back to his feet again, throwing heavy punches as he defended against Santos. Santos returned with his own punches and knees, and was successful with another takedown, again, to end the round. 

Round 4

Hill with a low kick and Santos missed on a body kick. He then threw a flying knee, only to eat a nasty combo from Hill. 

However, Jamahal Hill replied with another clean 1-2 combo. He ate a body kick from Santos and returned with his own low kick. A flurry of punches from Hill! They’re trading heavy punches against the fence!

A wide, heavy right now and Santos is down! Hill is on top, raining down punches on the veteran. A heavy elbow!! Referee Herb Dean put a stop to the fight declaring Hill the winner!

Jamahal Hill defeated Thiago Santos via T/KO R4, 02:31

UFC Vegas 59: Santos vs. Hill Full Card Results 

Main Card

  • (Main Event) Thiago Santos vs. Jamahal Hill – Hill via T/KO R4, 02:31
  • (Co-Main Event) Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal – Neal via T/KO R3, 02:01
  • Mohammed Usman vs. Zac Pauga – Usman via T/KO R2, 00:36
  • Brogan Walker vs. Juliana Miller – Miller via T/KO R3, 03:57
  • Augusto Sakai vs. Sergey Spivak – Spivak via T/KO R2, 03:42
  • Terrance McKinney vs. Erick Gonzalez – McKinney via Submission R1, 02:17

Preliminary Card

  • Sam Alvey vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk – Oleksiejczuk via T/KO R1, 01:56
  • Bryan Battle vs. Takashi Sato – Battle via T/KO R1, 00:44
  • Cory McKenna vs. Miranda Granger – McKenna via Submission R2, 01:03
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Stephanie Egger – Bueno Silva via Submission R1, 01:17

What’s Next on the UFC Schedule?

Up next on the UFC schedule, we head to the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California for UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz on Saturday, August 13, 2022. 

This is a saturated card with a lot of entertaining, rising prospects. There are many matchups that already have my eye, including:

  • Ode Osbourne vs. Tyson Nam (Preliminary Card)
  • Angela Hill vs. Lupita Godinez (Preliminary Card)
  • Bruno Silva vs. Gerald Meerschaert (Preliminary Card)
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Nina Nunes (Main Card)

And of course, you definitely can not miss out on the main event between two well-known bantamweights – Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz. 

Stay up to date with all of our expert handicappers’ weekly UFC picks content to help you make your best bets. Good luck!

UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz Main Card Fight Odds

*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.