Yousri Belgaroui Vs. Djorden Santos: Noche UFC AI Prediction, Results and Highlights

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Yousri Belgaroui Smashes Djorden Santos

Belgaroui looks like he could be a legitimate contender at middleweight. Santos was a late replacement for Kelvin Gastelum, but Belgaroui’s striking and length are elite. He initially hurt Santos with a jab, but wound up finishing him with an overhand right. With Alex Pereira and Glover Teixeira in his corner, the future is bright. Here is a look at the finish.

A.I. Prediction Below

The Athlon Sports MMA Team prediction model separates no two fighters on the Noche UFC card by more than it separates these two. The model does not consider betting odds.

Middleweight, three rounds.

The model read

Belgaroui’s kickboxing résumé is not decorative. It is the core of the matchup.

The former Glory title challenger entered MMA with years of elite striking experience and has learned to keep that offense functional through clinches and takedown attempts. He entered 10-3 on a five-fight winning streak after third-round UFC stoppages of Azamat Bekoev and Mansur Abdul-Malik.

Santos’ best route is to force prolonged grappling exchanges before Belgaroui establishes range. His reported takedown defense and limited UFC success make that difficult to project across three rounds.

Key matchup details

Belgaroui entered 10-3 with five straight victories and back-to-back third-round UFC knockouts. His pre-UFC résumé included Glory kickboxing title challenges and multiple bouts with Alex Pereira. Santos entered 11-3 with a materially thinner top-level sample. Belgaroui weighed 185.5 and Santos 185.

Camp and outside-UFC context

Belgaroui’s long relationship with Alex Pereira and his work in Pereira’s training environment matter because that camp is built specifically around adapting elite kickboxing to MMA. The score still rests on demonstrated takedown improvement, not on Pereira’s name.

The prediction

PREDICTION

PROJECTED RESULT

WINNER CONFIDENCE

METHOD CONFIDENCE

Yousri Belgaroui

TKO, Round 3

69%

50%

Category / weight

Yousri Belgaroui

Djorden Santos

Style, 25%

91

74

Recent, 20%

93

68

Resume, 15%

88

70

Damage, 15%

83

76

Weight, 10%

90

82

Cardio, 10%

86

79

Intangibles, 5%

88

76

WEIGHTED SCORE

89.0

73.9

Deciding factor: Belgaroui’s elite kickboxing depth, length and improving MMA conversion against Santos’ porous takedown defense and lower-volume offense.

Most likely alternative: Santos by submission or control-heavy decision.

This is one of the stronger calls on the card, but the stated alternative remains plausible. Belgaroui leads every single category, which is rare, and the 69% still leaves the grappling path open.

See Athlon’s AI predictions for every fight on the complete Noche UFC card.

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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.