Yousri Belgaroui – Djorden Santos

Fighters' momentum

The fight is announced for the UFC card “Noche UFC: Silva vs. Delgado,” at middleweight, on 12 September 2026. Three five-minute rounds and the venue at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale are probable, according to MMA Index, but are not established at the same level as the matchup and weight class.

Belgaroui comes in with three consecutive third-round stoppage wins against Mansur Abdul-Malik, Azamat Bekoev and Taiga Iwasaki. Across two UFC fights, FightingData credits him with 66,7 % significant-strike accuracy, 8,0 significant strikes landed per minute, 1,6 absorbed and 56,2 % takedown défense.

Santos has more total UFC time and several three-round decisions, but is coming off a third-round rear-naked choke loss to Baisangur Susurkaev. His UFC aggregate indicates 39,9 % accuracy, 7,0 strikes landed per minute, 7,6 absorbed, 80 % takedown défense and 0,3 successful takedowns per fifteen minutes.

The quality and exact size of the opposition samples remain limited for projecting these figures directly onto this matchup.

Head-to-head

No previous bout between Yousri Belgaroui and Djorden Santos is reported in the sources consulted, and FightingData also indicates no shared opponents. Therefore, there is neither a recent matchup nor a date, season, or score to report.

This absence limits the direct assessment of their interaction: the analysis is based on their individual profiles, documented UFC bouts, and style inferences rather than on a prior bout between them.

Preparation and physical condition

The official weigh-in, any potential weight miss, a publicly reported injury, an interruption of activity, and the medical status of both fighters are unavailable information in the sources consulted as of the temporal cutoff. The weigh-in is therefore unconfirmed, and the absence of information does not allow one to conclude that there was no injury or that a normal weight cut took place.

Context & news

Belgaroui will likely look to keep Santos at range with his reach, straight strikes, and knees; his advantage increases if he prevents entries and imposes a clean striking pace. Santos, on the other hand, will look to close the distance, push Belgaroui toward the cage, disrupt his rhythm, and prolong the exchanges; his scenario becomes more favorable if his 80% takedown défense is accompanied by genuinely effective pressure.

The favorable scenario for Belgaroui is a stand-up fight dominated by distance, precision, and powerful strikes. The opposing scenario is a Santos decision win through pressure and neutralization over fifteen minutes.

Neither fighter has confirmed five-round UFC experience; the expected duration announced is therefore that of a three-round fight, not a championship fight.

Matchup and opponent

The two fighters and the matchup are consistent across the pages consulted. Belgaroui is listed as orthodox, at 6’6” with a 79” reach, and with a 10-3 record; Santos is orthodox, at 6’0” with a 75” reach, and with an 11-3 record.

The fight is probably scheduled for three five-minute rounds. Santos reportedly accepted the fight with 18 days’ notice, information likely sourced from MMA Index.

No opponent replacement is sufficiently established. The actual cage-entry time is unknown: 20:15 UTC comes from the structured context, while 21:00 UTC appears as a programming time that may vary.