Rivalries: Taila Santos

Taila Santos needed less than three years to stake her claim as the No. 1 contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight division. Now in the heart of her competitive prime, she figures to remain a problem for the foreseeable future.

The 29-year-old Brazilian earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, debuted with the organization six months later and went about establishing herself among the elite at 125 pounds. Santos sports a 4-2 record across six appearances in the UFC, including victories over Gillian Robertson and Roxanne Modafferi. The muay thai stylist has delivered 13 of her 19 professional wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission, giving her a robust 68% finish rate.

As Santos awaits word on her next assignment from UFC matchmakers, a look at some of the rivalries that have shaped her career to this point:

Mara Romero Borella

The American Top Team export spoiled the promotional debut of the previously undefeated Santos when she eked out a split decision as part of the UFC Fight Night 144 undercard on Feb. 2, 2019 at Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. All three members of the cageside judiciary struck 29-28 scorecards: Hallison Pontes and Joseph Terrell for Borella, Chris Lee for Santos. Neither woman did much to distinguish herself. Borella did her best work in close quarters, particularly in the first and second rounds. The Italian answered a Santos takedown with one of her own and pursued a plodding clinch in an effort to neutralize her opponent’s advantages in the standup department. Santos hit her stride in the third round, where she pumped out a consistent jab, chipped away with punching combinations and let fly with the occasional low kick. However, her efforts fell short where they mattered most.

Molly McCann

Sharp muay Thai skills, timely takedowns and stellar topside grappling spurred Santos to a unanimous decision over the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder in their UFC on ESPN 13 women’s flyweight showcase on July 15, 2020 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Astra Fight Team standout swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks across the board. McCann enjoyed some early success with chopping right hands—she opened a small cut near the Brazilian’s left eye—and darting punches. However, Santos closed the distance and hammered her with knees to the body and head from the Thai clinch, causing visible damage and altering the direction of the fight. The second and third rounds were blowouts, as Santos struck for takedowns, climbed to full mount on multiple occasions and threatened with submissions, including a brabo choke in the middle stanza. Once the Dana White’s Contender Series alum hit her stride, McCann was practically powerless. Suddenly, a new threat at 125 pounds had begun to emerge.

Joanne Wood

Santos submitted the Syndicate MMA rep with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 198 attraction on Nov. 20, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Wood raised the white flag of surrender 4:49 into Round 1. A short-notice replacement for Alex Grasso, Santos successfully navigated the Scotswoman’s often-mesmerizing labyrinth of jabs and front kicks, closed the distance and let her fast, powerful hands do the rest. She decked Wood with a thudding overhand right, climbed to a seated mount and hunted avenues for the finish. After returning to her feet, Santos floored her counterpart a second time with hooks from both hands, moved to the back, cut loose with hammerfists and ultimately forced her to go belly down. From there, the Brazilian continued to apply her ground-and-pound, slid her arms into place for the choke and prompted the tapout from Wood.

Valentina Shevchenko

“Bullet” retained the undisputed women’s flyweight championship with a contentious split decision over Santos in the UFC 275 co-main event on June 12, 2022 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Judge David Lethaby scored it 48-47 for Santos, while Howard Hughes and Clemens Werner saw it 48-47 and 49-46 for Shevchenko. It was the longtime titleholder’s sternest test to date at 125 pounds. Santos exceeded even the most optimistic expectations. She steered clear of danger on the feet throughout the first two rounds and took down Shevchenko on multiple occasions, all while advancing to her back and threatening with cranks and chokes. However, the tide started to shift in Round 3, where the champion benefitted from an inadvertent clash of heads that resulted in serious swelling around Santos’ right eye. Shevchenko used the challenger’s brush with misfortune against her in the fourth and fifth rounds, firing left hands and kicks to her compromised side. Santos fought through the adversity but could not reclaim the momentum she once held. Shevchenko secured a takedown midway through Round 5, progressed to half guard and shut down the Brazilian’s bids to escape.