Yana Santos is set for her eleventh walk to the octagon, a challenge she describes as a dream come true. The Russian veteran is scheduled to face former UFC and Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate at UFC Des Moines.
Known as “Foxy”, Santos is a former Invicta FC champion who made her UFC debut directly in a title bout against Cris Cyborg years ago. Since then, she has achieved a 5-5 record in the promotion. Her return to the win column came with a decision victory over Chelsea Chandler in August 2024, setting the stage for this realization of a lifelong dream in Iowa.
Santos explained that facing Tate is a dream match because she was a fan before joining the UFC.
I watched her fights and those of many other female fighters, and I really admired her. That`s why I strongly desired to fight her, just like other dream opponents such as Gina Carano. It`s not out of dislike, but because I genuinely admire her, that I wanted this fight,
she said.
The article notes Tate`s past achievements: winning the Strikeforce bantamweight title in August 2010, when Santos (then Yana Kunitskaya) was early in her career with a 2-1 record. Tate also captured UFC gold in 2016 by submitting Holly Holm.
Santos reflected,
I never imagined I would reach this level, nor did I think I`d ever have the opportunity to fight her. So, for me, this truly is a dream come true.
She added that stylistically, Tate`s takedowns present a challenge, which excites her.
I`m progressing in my training camp, and we know what to anticipate from her,
Santos stated. For her, this fight is ultimately about
proving that I belong here in the UFC.
Santos anticipates the fight strategy, stating there`s “no surprise” about their approaches. She expects Tate to
try to take me down, and I will try to knock her out.
The article mentions Tate`s last fight was in December 2023, where she ended a two-fight losing streak with a submission win over Julia Avila. While not wanting to diminish Tate`s win, Santos pointed out that Avila was not in optimal condition for that bout.
Elaborating on the Avila fight, Santos said,
I don’t want to take anything away from her last performance, but her opponent had a torn LCL. It was a good performance, sure, but I think it’s one of the reasons why Julia didn’t give like so much back, because she couldn’t stand on her knee. But anyway, sure, it was a good performance, amazing performance. It was a long time ago.
Santos emphasized her focus:
But I am preparing for the best version of Miesha. I think she’s in good shape. I think she’s in this position when she has to prove that she’s still in this level and that she wants to go to title and all these things. I prepared for hard fight.
The article mentions Santos, known as “Foxy”, welcomed her second child in April 2022 with partner and fellow MMA fighter Thiago Santos. Following this, she experienced two consecutive decision losses (to Holly Holm and Karol Santos) before her win against Chandler. She expressed regret regarding how she managed her return to competition post-pregnancy.
Santos described the difficulty of returning:
It’s very hard to come back. You feel mentally that you’re ready, you want to fight, and you get there and you have losses, especially with nursing, all the things, you can’t sleep, baby needs you so much. The first year was tough, but my last fight is probably first one when I felt like myself back and feel like better than ever. I think it’s kind of not like mistake, but it’s challenging to come back fast. You probably could take a little bit more, but I’m happy with everything that happened. It’s challenging, but at same time it gives so much motivation and so much power.
