Yana Santos


Yana Santos is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Prior to joining the UFC, Santos competed for Invicta FC where she held the Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion. As of October 7, 2025, she is ranked #5 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings.
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Biography

Santos was born in 1989 in Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast, in northwestern Russia. Her mother, Olga Kunitskaya, was a professional gymnast, and her father, Joseph, was a pro skier. She has a younger sister named Victoria.
Santos became involved in martial arts early in her childhood, starting with taekwondo in preschool.
At the age of 12, she began competing in hand-to-hand combat. When she was 16 years old, Santos went to live and study in St. Petersburg and entered the Lesgaft National State University Boxing team. At 18, she began practicing mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Santos made her professional MMA debut on May 23, 2009, at a K-1 World Grand Prix event in Poland. She defeated Magdalena Jarecka by technical knockout in the first round. After winning two of her next three fights, Santos faced undefeated prospect Cindy Dandois at M-1 Challenge XXII on December 10, 2010. She defeated Dandois by TKO in 34 seconds. On November 19, 2011, Santos faced Arune Lauzeckaite at Bushido Hero's World Grand Prix Lithuania, winning by TKO in the first round.
In 2012, Santos faced Ekaterina Saraykina at the Verdict Fighting Championship on February 11, winning by TKO in the first round. In March, she faced Anna Melikhova at Lion's Fights and won by unanimous decision after two rounds. She then defeated Sylwia Kusiak by TKO in round one at the Baltic Arena in Koszalin, Poland, in June. Santos was scheduled to face Danielle West at Starlight Events: Gladiator World Cup 2012 on July 6 in Marbella, Spain, but the event was cancelled.
On August 9, 2012, Santos announced that she was pregnant with her first child. In August 2013, she announced the end of her sports career and her transition to coaching. However, she returned from retirement three years later. She then signed a contract with the Invicta Fighting Championships.

Invicta Fighting Championships

Santos defeated Tonya Evinger for the Invicta FC Bantamweight title on November 18, 2016. On December 1, the win was overturned to a no contest, so Evinger retained her title. Santos faced Evinger in a rematch in the main event of Invicta FC 22 on March 25, 2017, and lost by a rear-naked choke submission in the second round.
Santos defeated Raquel Pa'aluhi at Invicta FC 25 on August 31, 2017, to win the vacant Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Santos made her UFC promotional debut at UFC 222 on March 3, 2018, against Cris Cyborg for the featherweight title. She lost the fight via TKO at 3:25 in the first round.
Next, Santos faced Lina Länsberg on October 6, 2018, at UFC 229. She won the fight by unanimous decision.
Santos then faced Marion Reneau on March 9, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 146. She won the fight by unanimous decision.
Santos faced Aspen Ladd on December 7, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 7. She lost the fight by technical knockout at 0:33 in round three.
Santos was originally scheduled to fight Ketlen Vieira on August 1, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana, but the fight was later moved to UFC Fight Night 174 on August 8, 2020. Subsequently, on July 30 Vieira was removed from the card for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Julija Stoliarenko. Santos won the fight via unanimous decision.
The bout with Ketlen Vieira was rescheduled to February 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 185. At the weigh-ins, Vieira weighed 138 pounds, two pounds over the women's bantamweight non-title fight limit. She was fined 20% of her purse, which went to Santos. The bout proceeded at catchweight. Santos won the fight via unanimous decision.
Santos faced Irene Aldana on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264. At the weigh-ins, Aldana weighed 139.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. Her bout proceeded at catchweight. Aldana was fined 30% of her purse, which went to Santos. Santos lost the fight via technical knockout at 4:35 in round one.
Santos faced former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm on March 25, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 43. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Santos was scheduled to face The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters women's featherweight winner Macy Chiasson on July 1, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 48 However, Chiasson withdrew two weeks after the fight announcement. She was replaced by Karol Rosa in a featherweight bout. Santos lost the fight via split decision.
Santos was scheduled to face Norma Dumont on January 13, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 234. However, Santos pulled out due to a broken nose.
Santos faced Chelsea Chandler on August 10, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 61. At the weigh-ins, Chandler weighed in at 141 pounds, five pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight. Chandler was fined 20 percent of her purse, which went to Santos. She won the fight by unanimous decision.
Santos faced former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate on May 3, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 67. She won the fight by unanimous decision.
Santos faced Macy Chiasson on October 4, 2025, at UFC 320. At the weigh-ins, Chiasson weighed in at 137.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the women's bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Chiasson was fined a percentage of her purse, which went to Santos. Santos won the fight by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Santos is married to former UFC and current Professional Fighters League fighter Thiago Santos. She has a son from a previous relationship. The couple became engaged in December 2020. On August 16, 2021, Santos announced they were expecting their first child together. Some fans had speculated that Santos was pregnant during her fight against Irene Aldana, which had taken place a month earlier. However, Santos denied these claims. She noted that female fighters in Nevada, where the fight occurred, are required to undergo pregnancy tests as part of the standard medical screening before each fight.

Championships and accomplishments

Invicta Fighting Championships