Yana Kunitskaya

Yana Santos (formerly Kunitskaya) is a 36-year-old Russian mixed martial artist who has spent nearly two decades building one of the most technically proficient striking games in the UFC women's bantamweight division. Starting martial arts at age four in her native Murmansk, she progressed through taekwondo and Muay Thai, earning Russian national championships before fully committing to mixed martial arts at age 18. Her career outside the UFC was marked by explosive early victories and first-round finishes, culminating in a 2017 Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship win over Raquel Pa'aluhi.

When Santos stepped into the UFC octagon in 2018, she immediately challenged for Cris Cyborg's featherweight title in her debut, a fight she lost inside the first round. That setback began a longer arc through the bantamweight ranks, marked by both impressive technical wins and costly losses. After mixing results through the early 2020s, including a brutal first-round TKO to Irene Aldana and a controversial split decision loss to Karol Rosa, Santos has stabilized her standing with a recent run of decisive victories, including unanimous decision wins over former champion Miesha Tate (2025) and Hall of Famer Holly Holm (2023), now positioned as a #7-ranked contender.

Santos is a pure striker with elite accuracy and volume, landing significant strikes at a 57.5% clip and consistently pressuring opponents with clinch work and kicks. She averages over four significant strikes per minute while maintaining solid defense, though she rarely initiates wrestling. Her resume shows seven knockout or TKO victories and seven first-round finishes, reflecting her dangerous offensive output. She is married to UFC veteran Thiago Santos and has become known as much for her resilience off the mat as on it, having returned from retirement to raise her son and rebuild her career.

What makes Santos compelling to watch is her combination of technical striking excellence, veteran poise, and an increasingly solid track record against elite competition. She fights with directness and purpose, eschewing theatrics for pure technical execution. Fans drawn to accomplished strikers with international fighting backgrounds and proven championship experience find in Santos a reliable, explosive competitor who can break down opponents methodically or finish them explosively.