Athletes
Taila Santos Returns To Remove All Doubts
Flyweight Will Look To Make Her Case For Another Shot At The Belt By Stopping The Streaking Erin Blanchfield In Singapore
For those counting at home, it will have been 431 days. When she steps in the Octagon Saturday to take on Erin Blanchfield, it will have been 431 days since we’ve seen Taila Santos compete. 431 days since she did the previously unthinkable: make Valentina Shevchenko look mortal.
There wasn’t an injury to contend with, no life events that kept her away. Certainly she didn’t want to wait on the sidelines more than a year.
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“I've been training, studying, ready and focused all along,” she confirms. “I wanted an immediate rematch and I believe I earned it. It didn't happen, but I kept training and preparing for this comeback.”
She’s even back fighting in the place where it all happened: Singapore. Things didn’t break in her favor last time. When the scorecards were read, it was the then-champion Shevchenko who was awarded the split decision. But talk to any group of MMA fans who watched that flyweight championship bout, and at least half of them will argue vehemently that Santos won. You won’t catch the Brazilian disagreeing.
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"Yes, I believe I won. After the fight, I called her out a bunch of times for a rematch, but she ran. She was willing to fight girls from the weight classes below and above, but she didn't answer my calls. So she knows she lost that fight and didn't want to do it again. But yes, I believe I won that fight.”
Of course believing you won and getting two of the three judges to agree with you are two different things. It was only the second loss of her 21-fight professional career; both split decisions. It was her first title shot since she won the Aspera FC belt back in 2016. But if you’re waiting for bitterness or resentment, you’ll have a hard time finding it when you talk to 30-year-old.
"It wasn't a frustration. I was actually happy, because I knew I won the fight, and it made me realize she also knew and was running from me. By not taking a rematch, she was acknowledging she lost and didn't want to fight me again.”
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As she sees it, even in defeat, she created a blueprint for how to take out one of the greatest champions in UFC history. A blueprint that has already been followed since.
Highlight: Taila Santos Submits Joanne Wood | UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs Tate
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Highlight: Taila Santos Submits Joanne Wood | UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs Tate
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"Absolutely. Everybody talked about Valentina as being this monster, this unbeatable girl. I knew her ground game was her weakness and I showed it since the beginning of the fight by taking her down. I'm sure Alexa Grasso watched the fight and followed these steps until finally getting the submission.”
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And as badly as she’d like to bring that flyweight belt back to Balneário Camboriú, she still prefers another crack at Shevchenko first.
"I'd rather fight Valentina, so I can prove that I had beat her by beating her again.”
Erin Blanchfield vs Taila Santos Preview | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Erin Blanchfield vs Taila Santos Preview | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie
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First, however, is the very real problem of one Erin Blanchfield this Saturday. “Cold Blooded” is 11-1 overall and is coming off a Performance of the Night victory over former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade; her eighth straight victory and her third straight submission finish. The New Jersey native has looked nearly flawless since her 2021 UFC debut and is looking to jump the line of veterans like Santos. It’s one of MMA’s oldest cliches that you can’t leave things in the judges’ hands. Twice bitten by that truism, Santos has no plans to let it happen again.
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"I see myself winning either by knockout or submission. This is what I'm aiming for, and I'm sure I'm going to hit the target.”
UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie took place live from Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on August 26, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
