LAS VEGAS – Mairon Santos has a new level of confidence following his latest triumph in the octagon.

In easily the biggest fight of his young career, Santos (16-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) defeated veteran contender Yusuff (13-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the co-main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night 256. It was a big step-up for the Brazilian, and he sure felt it in the lead-up to the event.

"My debut wasn't like I was expecting, and this one, I can't describe it because I'm so happy," Santos said at the UFC Fight Night 256 post-fight press conference. "Sodiq is a big name that was ranked. I had some doubts. In the back of my mind, I was like, 'Can I compete with this guy? He's fought a lot of tough guys.' I was like, 'Am I one of those guys to beat him?' Now I know, I have the answer right now. I think this performance shows what I'm capable of. My last fight wasn't me. I'm very happy with this performance."

Defeating Yusuff was not only good for Santos's record and current run, but also for his mentality. After getting a clear win over a ranked opponent, Santos now feels like one of the best in the world – something he doubted prior to UFC Fight Night 256.

"I think the biggest lesson that I have from this fight that come to my mind right now is that I belong with big names," Santos explained. "When I'm at the gym training, I see I train with a lot of UFC guys and stuff, and I can compete with the best because look at my training partners. When I go to fight, I go, 'Ok, am I just a fighter that's good in the gym?' Questions that I have in my mind because of my last performance, and I was able to answer that in the cage for myself. I'm just so happy to know that I belong."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC's Mairon Santos grows in confidence after Sodiq Yusuff win

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