Taila Santos Draws Inspiration from Julianna Pena’s Upset Victory Heading into UFC 275

Taila Santos got started in combat sports as a teenager, and by the time the UFC came to her hometown, she herself as almost ready to step into the cage for the first time as a professional.

“I started practicing muay Thai when I was 14. When I was 19 years old, the UFC came to my city (Jaragua do Sul), and I was able to get an autograph from Vitor Belfort one day before he knocked out [Luke] Rockhold,” Santos told Sherdog.com.

Coincidentally, Santos made her MMA debut three months after UFC passed through her city. Since then, she has been victorious in 19 of 20 fights and will take a four-bout winning streak into her matchup with reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC 275 co-main event on June 11.

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“My background is muay Thai, but I improved my wrestling and ground skills a lot lately. I´m prepared wherever the fight goes. No doubt Valentina is one of the most well-rounded girls out there, but she is not an ET and I´ll show that on June 11.”

When it comes to rating the best female fighters of all-time, Santos believes Shevchenko is almost at the very top: “1. Amanda Nunes, 2. Valentina Shevchenko and 3. Cyborg.”

Currently the biggest underdog on the UFC 275 card, Santos uses Julianna Pena’s upset victory over Nunes at UFC 269 as inspiration to pull the upset.

“Those numbers just motivate me to shock the world. Respect cannot mean fear,” Santos said. “Pena fought Amanda stepping forward, not fearing, and that's how she won. I´m going to do the same against Valentina. Take note, I´ll defy the odds and bring this belt to Brazil.”