Taila Santos will become the 7th contender to challenge Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275. The current UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion has been an unstoppable force in the division. She beat Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2018 to capture her maiden UFC title, Valentina has pretty much been invincible.
The Kyrgyzstani fighter is perhaps the most well-rounded Mixed Martial Artist in women’s MMA. From having excellent striking skills to possessing dominant grappling skills, there is no one in the division who even comes close to Valentina in the weight class.
🏆 The 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏 vs the 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑹 😤
— UFC (@ufc) June 10, 2022
@BulletValentina vs Taila Santos
[ #UFC275 | Tomorrow | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/IEu8bU0BAa ] pic.twitter.com/Pvf6qhQuqp
Her opponent this Saturday, Taila Santos is a very good fighter out of Brazil. She is coming off a 4 fight-winning streak that includes the likes of Molly McCann, Roxanne Modafferi and Joanne Wood. Her only career loss came against Mara Romero Borella in the very first UFC fight of her career.
UFC 275, Valentina Shevchenko vs Taila Santos: Stats
Stats | Valentina Shevchenko | Taila Santos |
---|---|---|
Wins | 22 | 19 |
Losses | 3 | 1 |
Height | 1.65 m | 1.68 m |
Division | Women’s Flyweight | Women’s Flyweight |
Reach | 168.9 cm | 172.7 cm |
Age | 34 | 28 |
Can Taila Santos pull off the upset against Valentina Shevchenko?
Taila Santos is currently ranked no. 4 in the UFC women’s flyweight division. She is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has a background in Muay Thai. Taila possesses 10 knockout wins and 3 submission wins. In a way, Santos resembles Valentina Shevchenko.
View this post on Instagram
The 28-year-old has great stats to back her up as a worthy adversary to Valentina. She averages 3.71 strikes per minute as opposed to absorbing 2.23 in the same time. Santos also averages 2.44 takedowns per fight with an accuracy of 86%.
Although those stats are impressive, they pale in comparison to Shevchenko. She has 8 KO wins and 7 victories via submission. The Bullet lands 3.21 strikes per minute. It may not sound much, but whenever she hits, she does it with purpose. The 34-year-old also does not take much damage either.
She absorbs an insanely low 1.87 strikes per minute. Valentina also averages 2.62 takedowns per fight. On top of that, she has faced all the toughest challenges there are in the company. So Taila Santos does not seem to hold any special place in that list.
View this post on Instagram
This is a perfect match-up for Shevchenko to do her magic and get another victory and move to the next big challenge. Barring any fluke circumstances, a Taila victory is extremely unlikely.