Why 'TUF 32' featherweight winner Mairon Santos couldn't believe his knockout was real

LAS VEGAS – Mairon Santos needed to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Santos (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) cracked Kaan Ofli with a counter left hand in the second round of their featherweight Season 32 finale of “The Ultimate Fighter,” took place on the main card of UFC on ESPN 62 at the UFC Apex.

The punch connected, and Ofli (11-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) crashed face-forward into the canvas. But Santos didn’t stop punching.

“I was like, this can’t be real,” Santos said at a post-fight news conference. “The way that it was, like him going face-first, I was like, this can’t be real. That’s why I kept punching him because I didn’t believe it. Right now, I’m still thinking that’s a dream, but at the same time, I’m trying to think, OK, this is it. You are The Ultimate Fighter and one day you can be a champion. … It’s a dream come true.”

There was no dream. Santos is now a UFC fighter and became one with a highlight-reel finish in an unfamiliar fashion. Sure, Santos has finished opponents with strikes on the regional scene, but this one was different.

“I’m not used to knocking people out like that,” Santos said. “I didn’t know that I had this power. That’s why I kept punching him, because it was unreal to me.”

Now that he’s accomplished the first step in his goal of becoming a UFC champion, Santos can’t wait to enjoy some good food before preparing for his next fight, which he hopes occurs before the end of the year since he and his wife have a baby on the way.

Aside from getting in his next fight soon, he doesn’t want to rush his progression in the UFC.

“When I have to be in the top 15, it will happen naturally,” Santos said. “I don’t want to force it. I know I have a long way to go. So, I just want to fight before the end of the year and then fight again, fight again. Top 15, top 5, but without rushing anything.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 62.