Yana Santos facts for kids

Yana Santos (born November 11, 1989), also known by her maiden name Kunitskaya, is a professional mixed martial artist from Russia. She competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Before joining the UFC, she was the champion in the Bantamweight division for Invicta FC, another major fighting organization. As of early 2025, she is ranked among the top fighters in the UFC women's bantamweight division.

About Yana Santos

Yana Santos was born in 1989 in Murmansk, a city in northwestern Russia. Her family was very athletic: her mother was a professional gymnast, and her father was a professional skier. Yana also has a younger sister.

Yana started learning martial arts when she was very young. She began with taekwondo in preschool and quickly became very good. She won many tournaments, even against boys, and often finished her fights with a knockout.

When she was 12, Yana started competing in hand-to-hand combat, a type of fighting where she remained undefeated. At 16, she moved to St. Petersburg to study and joined the Lesgaft National State University's Boxing team. By age 18, she began training in mixed martial arts (MMA), which combines different fighting styles.

Yana's MMA Journey

Starting Her Career

Yana Santos had her first professional MMA fight on May 23, 2009, in Poland. She won by a technical knockout (TKO) in the first round. She continued to win many of her early fights, often by TKO. One notable win was against Cindy Dandois in 2010, where Yana won in just 34 seconds.

In 2012, Yana kept winning her fights, showing her strength and skill. However, in August 2012, she announced she was expecting her first child. She took a break from fighting and even thought about becoming a coach. But three years later, she decided to return to the sport and signed with the Invicta Fighting Championships.

Becoming a Champion in Invicta FC

On November 18, 2016, Yana fought Tonya Evinger for the Invicta FC Bantamweight title. Yana won the fight, but the decision was later changed to a "no contest" because of a referee call, so Evinger kept her title. They had a rematch in March 2017, where Yana lost.

However, Yana didn't give up. On August 31, 2017, she fought Raquel Pa'aluhi for the same title, which was now empty. This time, Yana won and became the Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion!

Fighting in the UFC

Yana Santos made her big debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on March 3, 2018. Her first UFC fight was against Cris Cyborg for the featherweight title, which she lost in the first round.

After that, Yana moved back to the bantamweight division. She won her next two fights by unanimous decision against Lina Länsberg in October 2018 and Marion Reneau in March 2019.

In December 2019, Yana faced Aspen Ladd and lost by technical knockout. She then had a fight scheduled with Ketlen Vieira in August 2020, but Vieira had to pull out. Yana instead fought Julija Stoliarenko and won by unanimous decision.

The fight with Ketlen Vieira was rescheduled for February 2021. Vieira weighed in a bit over the limit, so the fight happened at a "catchweight," meaning it wasn't for a specific weight class title. Yana won this fight by unanimous decision too.

In July 2021, Yana fought Irene Aldana. Aldana also missed weight, so it was another catchweight bout. Yana lost this fight by technical knockout.

Yana then faced former UFC champion Holly Holm in March 2023, losing by unanimous decision. In July 2023, she was set to fight Macy Chiasson, but Chiasson pulled out. Yana then fought Karol Rosa in a featherweight bout and lost by split decision.

In January 2024, Yana had to pull out of a fight against Norma Dumont because of a broken nose. Her most recent fight was on August 10, 2024, against Chelsea Chandler. Chandler also missed weight, but Yana won the fight by unanimous decision.

Personal Life

Yana Santos is married to Thiago Santos, who is also a professional MMA fighter. Yana has a son from a previous relationship. The couple got engaged in December 2020. In August 2021, Yana announced they were expecting their first child together. She clarified that she was not pregnant during her fight just a month earlier, as female fighters in Nevada must take pregnancy tests before fights.

Achievements and Awards

Yana Santos has achieved a lot in her fighting career:

• Invicta Fighting Championships
  • Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion (One time)
  • Performance of the Night (twice) for her fights against Tonya Evinger and Raquel Pa'aluhi
• Other Awards
  • 2007 UKADO World Champion
  • 2007 Russian Taekwondo Champion
  • 2010 Bushido Women's MMA Champion
  • 2011 Russian Muay Thai Champion

Mixed martial arts record

See also

In Spanish: Yana Kunitskaya para niños