It’s UFC Shanghai fight week, and this card has the particularity of featuring a number of newly signed fighters making their promotional debuts. One of the more surprising additions is Brazilian veteran Hector Santiago. Originally, he traveled to China to corner André Lima. Instead, he finds himself getting the call on one week’s notice to step into the UFC cage himself.
Hector de Sousa Santiago is a 33-year-old Brazilian from São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo. He trains out of Team Lucas Mineiro. Before transitioning to MMA, he competed internationally in kickboxing, appearing for promotions such as RISE in Japan and Kunlun Fight in China. He also boxed professionally in Brazil, where he challenged for a national super featherweight title.
Santiago made his professional MMA debut in 2024 and has since built a 6-1 record almost entirely on the Brazilian regional scene. His early wins came under the Jungle Fight banner and at LFA 191. He followed those with victories on Thunder Fight and Puro Impacto cards. His lone professional loss came at Thunder Fight 54 in late 2025. He bounced back with two wins in 2026, most recently on the Money Moicano MMA card.
He now makes his UFC debut against Lawrence Lui in Shanghai.
Santiago is a mean, crowd-pleasing striker who comes forward like he has somewhere better to be and the other guy is simply blocking the exit. He has excellent hands, good footwork, constant feints, a jab he likes to double up, legitimate one-punch power, and a pace that rarely dips. Santiago cuts the cage well and traps opponents against the fence. He also counters well when opponents try to fire back.
The striking experience from kickboxing, boxing, and MMA is obvious on tape. He hits hard, stays composed in exchanges and is comfortable fighting at a high tempo. Despite his relatively small frame, he carries good reach for the division. This lets him land without constantly overextending to close distance. His cardio is another strength, while his occasional low kicks land with purpose.
Perhaps most surprisingly, his defensive wrestling is serviceable. His sprawls are solid, he reacts quickly to level changes, and he shows real urgency when opponents manage to get him down. For a career striker, his ability to scramble back to his feet is better than expected.
That’s the good stuff. And honestly, the tape is pretty solid for someone who looks like your classic Brazilian journeyman on paper. He only received the UFC call because he happened to be in China cornering a teammate. He’s not an elite prospect, but he’s certainly not a bad replacement.
There are still clear holes in his game. His smaller frame means he can be walked down. His head movement is limited, and he does very little work to the body. He is almost entirely a puncher and rarely initiates the clinch. Moreover, he doesn’t show much interest in following opponents to the mat. His lead leg is also vulnerable because he rarely checks kicks or switches stance. He can absorb too many clean shots while trying to get into his preferred punching range.
The ground game remains the biggest question mark. His only professional loss came by submission, and a legitimate grappler should have a clear path against him. The encouraging part is that he hasn’t looked helpless when forced into scrambles. The sprawls, transitions, and urgency to get back up are all there. It’s still a major weakness. However, there is enough defensive ability to suggest he won’t simply fold the moment the fight hits the mat.
Against the right opponent, though, that weakness will still be the deciding factor.
THE FIGHT WITH LAWRENCE LUI
I actually really like this matchup.
Santiago, despite the appearances, is no soft touch. He brings heavy hands, a long reach for his height, years of striking experience, and a high-pressure style that should give Lui plenty to think about. His grappling isn’t elite, but the defensive wrestling and scrambling ability are better than expected for a career striker.
Lui holds the clear wrestling advantage and has the sharper overall fundamentals. The problem is that he can get jittery under pressure, shell up when forced onto the back foot, and fight in fairly thin margins. Santiago, meanwhile, is at his best when he can force opponents into exchanges. He also keeps the pace high when doing so.
I expect Lui to lean heavily on his wrestling and cage work, particularly given the short-notice circumstances. Getting Santiago moving backward and forcing him to defend takedowns should be key. Making him work in extended grappling sequences should be the clearest route to victory.
That doesn’t make this easy money, though. Santiago has enough power and volume to punish Lui if he gets comfortable at range. Both fighters have shown some issues when forced to fight while moving backward. If Lui can’t consistently establish his wrestling, this could turn into a much more competitive battle than the odds make it look like.
I’ll pick Lui to edge Santiago by decision.
