De Los Santos (17-2, 15 KOs) is looking to show that the first fight – a third-round stoppage win – was no fluke when he dukes it out with Valenzuela (15-3, 9 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight bout to headline Zuffa Boxing 08 on Paramount+.

“I wanted this rematch to prove that it wasn't a night of luck, as some people have said,” De Los Santos told The Ring. “For those who watched the fight correctly, they saw that I dominated Valenzuela. But he received all of the opportunities afterward to build himself back up. That's why I signed with Zuffa Boxing, because they don't protect anyone – fighters get what they deserve.”

De Los Santos, a 26-year-old from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, aims to get his career back on track after beating Valenzuela in September 2022. De Los Santos took the fight on a day’s notice after Valenzuela’s original opponent, Jezreel Corrales, was unable to secure a visa.

A unanimous decision victory over Joseph Adorno came next for De Los Santos but that was followed by a dull dance in a November 2023 title shot against then-lightweight champ Shakur Stevenson, who won by a clear decision.

“It was a boring fight. Shakur ran the whole time and didn't risk coming forward, and maybe I could have attacked and pushed the pace more,” De Los Santos said. “But it was a learning experience.”

De Los Santos went without a fight in 2024 and was supposed to face Keyshawn Davis in July of last year for the WBO lightweight title, but Davis missed weight and the fight was canceled. "La Granada" finally returned for a December tune-up and took out Eliot Chavez inside a round in a Dominican homecoming.

The fact he has fought only one round over the last 32 months could work against him. To build some semblance of momentum, in recent months, De Los Santos signed a managerial deal with Fighters First Management and a promotional deal with Zuffa Boxing following a split from past promoter Sampson Lewkowicz.

“I definitely missed being in the ring. With Zuffa, I'm ready to fight all of the fighters who didn't want to fight me,” De Los Santos said. “I am looking to test the lightweight division. There are a lot of good fighters in the weight class. We're going to see who's the best.”

Meanwhile, Valenzuela has gone 3-3 since suffering the first loss of his career against De Los Santos. The 27-year-old Mexican lost a controversial decision against Chris Colbert but stopped him in a rematch before moving on to outpoint Isaac Cruz for the WBA 140-pound title in August 2024.

But Valenzuela failed to defend the title and was dominated in a one-sided fight against Gary Antuanne Russell in March of last year. Valenzuela made his Zuffa debut in February with a hard-earned unanimous decision win against Diego Torres.

“Gary Antuanne Russell has a similar fighting style as mine, and you saw what happened to Valenzuela in that fight,” De Los Santos said. “Valenzuela is a good fighter, and I don't take any credit away from him. He's a dangerous fighter, depending on the opponent. I think it's going to be a very good fight.

“I didn't show as much in the first fight, and they don't know what I am going to come with next. I am 100 percent again and am ready to put on a show. It should be the fight of the night.”