Hector Santiago debuts at UFC Shanghai hoping to once again share card with Alex Pereira

Hector Santiago makes his UFC debut on Saturday in Shanghai, China, facing Lawrence Lui, a tournament winner from the Road to UFC program. The 33-year-old bantamweight knockout artist brings a striking-heavy background to the octagon, having spent years competing in kickboxing before transitioning to MMA roughly a decade ago.

Santiago and Lui will share a card with UFC champion Alex Pereira, which carries special significance for Santiago. Like Pereira, Santiago built his career in combat sports through kickboxing, winning belts in the WGP and WAKO before moving to mixed martial arts. The two have known each other since before Pereira's rise to championship status—Santiago even appeared on a WGP card in July 2015 where Pereira won the title in a trilogy bout against Cesar Almeida. Santiago has long dreamed of sharing another card with his friend and fellow striker as both compete under the UFC banner.

"I have enormous admiration for Alex," Santiago told MMA Fighting. "Alex has been a friend of mine for a long time, since before he was famous. I followed his story very closely, so it would be amazing to fight on the same card as him."

Santiago's path to the UFC came after an impressive early MMA record. He compiled six wins in seven bouts over two years, capped by a violent first-round knockout at an event promoted by Renato Moicano. That performance earned him the UFC call at age 33. He has previously fought in Asia five times during his kickboxing career and is familiar with the challenges of competing across time zones, though he jokes about his adjustment: "You wake up to fight, and then after the fight you go back to sleep."

Heading into his debut, Santiago has studied Lui's UFC appearance, noting his opponent relied heavily on grappling and fence control. However, Lui's other fights revealed him primarily as a striker. "I have the ability to make him go to that plan B as well, so I'm already prepared for the grappling game he might want to bring," Santiago said. He plans to pursue his trademark knockout strategy from the opening bell, aiming for an early finish rather than a decision victory.