Richie Santiago predicts a finish on the ground against Giorgi Kudukhashvili at CES 60

Admittedly 2019 didn’t turn out to be the best of years for bantamweight Richie Santiago.

Following a loss to Miles Johns at Dana White’s Contender Series in June, Santiago spent the remainder of the year on the sidelines recovering from an injury suffered in the fight.

“Early last year I was looking to fight in the spring, but that didn’t happen, and that was disappointing, but I got the call up to the Contender Series,” Santiago told MMAWeekly.com. “I got a big opportunity there.

“I fought in June, lost a decision, ended up breaking my jaw, so I was out for a good two months. I pretty much spent the rest of 2019 just recovering and training.”

Having been fighting as a pro and amateur combined for over seven years, Santiago knows that sometimes injuries that require significant time to recover happen, so he was able to handle his time off better than many would.

“It can definitely be frustrating, especially since I only fought once last year, but I’ve been in this game a long time now, so I’ve come to learn that you’ve got to be patient and just take your time,” said Santiago.

“You can’t be stupid and get back in there before it’s healed. A broken jaw is a serious injury, so I had to take my time and wait until I could accept another fight.”

On Friday in Lincoln, Rhode Island, Santiago (7-2) will look to get back on track when he faces Giorgi Kudukhashvili (5-3) in a main card 135-pound bout at CES 60.

This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com

Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.