Three years ago, Thiago Santos, on two torn-up knees, came within one scorecard of UFC gold.

And even with four losses in his last five, the hard-hitting Brazilian remains a top-six contender entering his seventh headliner in his last nine fights. Not only that, the eight-year UFC veteran sees the math working in his favor to get back into the light heavyweight title picture, provided he gets past surging Jamahal Hill on Saturday (10 p.m. Eastern, ESPN) at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“If I stop this guy, I do believe that they probably are going to have one more fight to go again to the title,” Santos told The Post via Zoom this week.

By the numbers alone, the 1-4 stretch from Santos (22-10, 16 finishes) the past three years isn’t impressive. Then again, that 2019 split decision loss in his championship bid against one of the most dominant fighters in MMA — the legendary but troubled Jon Jones — is as close as anyone’s gotten to defeating the former champion. And Santos did it while enduring a pair of devastating knee injuries: on the left, a torn ACL, PCL, MCL and meniscus paired with a fractured tibia, plus a partial tear in his right meniscus.

Upon his return 16 months later, Santos nearly knocked out future 205-pound champ Glover Teixeira before succumbing to a rear-naked choke. Four months later, Aleksandar Rakic outpointed him over three rounds. After picking up a five-round decision against Johnny Walker, he went the distance in a losing effort against Magomed Ankalaev this March.

The three opponents who beat him, plus two Santos defeated within the last five years — former champion Jan Blachowicz and Anthony Smith — make up the five contenders ahead of him in the UFC’s promotional rankings. And Santos keenly aware that just about any fight after this weekend will be against rematch as he angles to challenge current champ Jiri Prochazka down the road.

“Be honest, I would like to fight Jiri Prochazka. I like his style, and [he is] new meat,” Santos said. “I never fought against him, so I’m very interested to fight against him.

“But let’s see,” continues Santos, ensuring not to get ahead of himself. “First, I need to do a good win this Saturday, a good victory, and show that I deserve something more.”

Santos understands the challenge in front of him with Hill (10-1, six finishes), is known for a high-volume striking attack that’s in stark contrast to the more labored pace set by his last three opponents. The 31-year-old from Michigan ranks second all-time among UFC light heavyweights in strikes landed per minute. He also has momentum on his side, with a pair of first-round knockouts over Jimmy Crute (December) and common opponent Walker (February).

The fact that the confident Hill may very well come forward and bring the fight to him only excites Santos, whose appropriately-assigned nickname “Marreta” means “sledgehammer.” He “absolutely” appreciates an opponent he can play off of more than one whose output is lower.

“I like guys to come to me, to try to knock me out.” says Santos, a seven-year army veteran in his native Brazil. “It’s making the fight interesting. I like so much. Fights before, guys stay so worried about me. I think he will not be worried about me. … It makes me afraid and makes me sharp, makes me [pay] attention about everything. I cannot close my eyes any second.”

At 38, Santos knows his time competing in MMA is much closer to the end than the beginning. A pro since 2010, he says he has a “maximum of four years more” in the sport. The idea of competing deep into his 40s isn’t palatable, given the state of his body.

Still, Santos draws inspiration from the likes of Teixeira and Blachowicz, who won the title at ages 42 and 37 and are the top two ranked contenders in the division. Their examples offer hope that he can reach the pinnacle, even at a relatively advanced age in MMA.

“My body had been through a lot of injuries, a lot of small injuries,” Santos explains. “[It’s] not only about training and fighting, it’s before, when I was in army. So my body, it’s an old car. A tough, tough car, but old car. Went through a lot of things.

“I have I have a few more years, so I want to do my best and try to take this belt during these years.”