Taila Santos Withdraws from PFL Flyweight Tournament; Card Gets New Headliner

The upcoming Professional Fighters League tournament event has undergone a few changes.

The promotion announced Monday that Taila Santos has withdrawn from a first-round flyweight pairing against Juliana Velasquez at PFL World Tournament 2 on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. As a result, Ekaterina Shakalova will step in and face Velasquez in the 125-pound bracket. Santos vs. Velasquez was slated to be the evening’s featured bout; instead a bantameight tilt pitting Leandro Higo against Josh Rettinghouse will now serve as the main event. Saray Orozco was originally supposed to face Shakalova, but it’s currently unclear if she will receive a replacement opponent.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

PFL Tournament 2 features tournament bouts at women’s flyweight and men’s bantamweight. The prelims air on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while the main card begins on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

Santos, a former UFC title challenger at flyweight, reached the finals in the old PFL season format in 2024, where she fell to Dakota Ditcheva via second-round TKO on Nov. 29. She earned wins over Ilara Joanne, Jena Bishop and Liz Carmouche in her first three PFL appearances.

Shakalova, meanwhile, previously competed at featherweight, but will drop to 125 pounds to face Velasquez. She had a seven-bout winning streak snapped in a unanimous decision defeat to Aspen Ladd at Bellator Champions Series Paris last May.

A former Bellator champion, Velasquez snapped a three-bout losing streak with a second-round stoppage of Lisa Mauldin at a PFL event last June.

Higo has won five of his last six outings, including a three-round verdict over James Gallagher in his most recent fight at Bellator Champions Series Belfast in March 2024.

Rettinghouse notably fought for the World Series of Fighting belt in March 2014, when he lost a unanimous decision to Marlon Moraes. The 35-year-old has been victorious in 10 of his last 11 professional bouts, which included a five-fight stint in M-1 Global.

It’s the fight game. Always changing. It’s up to the fighters to adjust to new opponents. It’s up to US to tell the story. @CoachandCo https://t.co/nAJd2iApKk

— The Coach (@Thecoachrules) April 8, 2025