Jared Gordon’s MMA math has him with a win over Georges St-Pierre, wants Paddy Pimblett next

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SALT LAKE CITY – Jared Gordon beat Leonardo Santos with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City.

Take a look inside the fight with Gordon, who got back in the win column after an April loss to Grant Dawson snapped a three-fight winning streak.

Jared Gordon vs. Leonardo Santos

Aug 20, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Leonardo Santos (red gloves) fights Jared Gordon (blue gloves) during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Result: Jared Gordon def. Leonardo Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Updated records: Gordon (19-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC), Santos (18-6-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC)
Key stat: Gordon outstruck Santos a whopping 203-41 and landed nearly 80 percent of his total strikes.

Gordon on the fight’s key moment

Aug 20, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Leonardo Santos (red gloves) fights Jared Gordon (blue gloves) during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

“He’s like 6-foot-5, I’m like 5-foot-4. It’s hard to reach his face. His body’s right there – I’m looking at his belly button. But yeah, I always try to dig to the body, especially against the fence like what I was doing. … Even from distance, I would jab, (then) go to the body. It looked like it was hurting him, and then I would come back upstairs.”

Gordon on a win over someone with Santos’ resume

Aug 20, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Leonardo Santos (red gloves) fights Jared Gordon (blue gloves) during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

“By MMA math, he armbarred Georges St-Pierre in the ADCCs, so I have a win over Georges St-Pierre now, which means I have a win over all the welterweight GOATs. … The guy’s got wins over some really good guys in the UFC. He was on a seven-fight winning streak, I believe, in the UFC. Obviously, he’s gotten older. He’s on a losing (skid). His fight against Grant Dawson, he was beating him until he got knocked out in the last second. So this is a big win for me, I think.”

Gordon on what he wants next

Jul 23, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Paddy Pimblett (red gloves) defeats Jordan Leavitt (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

“(Paddy Pimblett) called me out after his last fight, I think. We’ve been calling each other out for like two years – nothing malicious. I really like him, actually. I think he’s great for the sport. He’s a character, and I think he’s preaching a good message. I think between the two of us, especially him with his million followers, we can raise a lot of awareness for mental health.”

To hear more from Gordon, check out the video of the full post-fight interview below.