Taila Santos

Taila Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who rose from Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu training under her father's guidance to become one of the most technically gifted grapplers in women's flyweight. After a remarkable early career run of ten consecutive first-round finishes, a two-year layoff, and a UFC contract via Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 2, she climbed the UFC rankings methodically with wins over established names like Roxanne Modafferi and Gillian Robertson. In June 2022, Santos earned a shot at Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship. Though she fell short in a close split decision, Santos made history by becoming the first fighter to win a scorecard against Shevchenko in the flyweight division, a moral victory that proved her elite status.

Santos fights as a submission-focused grappler with exceptional takedown accuracy (75% in UFC) and defense (85.3%), combined with striking that can hurt and knockdown opponents. Her submission attempts (9 in the UFC) and grappling IQ are division-leading; she has finalized wins via rear-naked choke multiple times, including a first-round Performance of the Night stoppage over Joanne Wood. However, her UFC run ended after a loss to Erin Blanchfield in August 2023 and her release from the promotion later that year.

In 2024, Santos signed with the PFL and impressed in the women's flyweight tournament, defeating Jena Bishop and Liz Carmouche before reaching the final, where she suffered a shocking second-round TKO loss to Dakota Ditcheva - her first knockout defeat. A subsequent doping suspension for anabolic steroids kept her sidelined for six months in 2025; Santos attributed the failed test to accidentally taking her husband's supplement during a rush to training. She returned to competition in May 2026 with a first-round TKO over Qihui Yan at PFL Sioux Falls, signaling her readiness to rebuild her legacy in the new promotion as a respected veteran and perennial title threat.