Yana Santos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yana Santos |
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|---|---|
| Born | Yana Kunitskaya November 11, 1989 Murmansk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Other names | Foxy |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |
| Division | Featherweight Bantamweight |
| Reach | 68+1⁄2 in (174 cm) |
| Style | Taekwondo, Muay Thai, ARB, Gaidojutsu |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Team | Jackson Wink MMA American Top Team |
| Rank | Black belt in Taekwondo |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 25 |
| Wins | 16 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 8 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 3 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Spouse | Thiago Santos |
Yana Santos (born November 11, 1989) is a professional mixed martial artist from Russia. She competes in the women's bantamweight division. Yana is part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Before joining the UFC, Yana was the Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion. As of May 6, 2025, she is ranked #9 in the UFC women's bantamweight division.
Contents
About Yana Santos
Yana Santos was born in 1989 in Murmansk, a city in northwestern Russia. Her mother was a professional gymnast. Her father was a professional skier. Yana also has a younger sister.
Early Martial Arts Training
Yana started learning taekwondo when she was very young, even before kindergarten. She won many tournaments. She often won her fights by knockout, even against boys.
When she was 12, she began competing in hand-to-hand combat. At 16, Yana moved to St. Petersburg to study. She joined the Lesgaft National State University Boxing team. At 18, she started training in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Yana's MMA Career
Yana Santos began her professional MMA career on May 23, 2009. Her first fight was at a K-1 World Grand Prix event in Poland. She won by technical knockout (TKO) in the first round.
Early Fights and Return
After winning two more fights, Yana faced Cindy Dandois on December 10, 2010. She won that fight by TKO in just 34 seconds. In 2011 and 2012, Yana continued to win several fights. Many of these wins were by TKO.
In August 2012, Yana announced she was expecting her first child. She then said she would stop fighting to become a coach. However, she returned to the sport three years later. She then signed a contract with Invicta Fighting Championships.
Invicta FC Champion
Yana fought Tonya Evinger for the Invicta FC Bantamweight title on November 18, 2016. Yana won the fight. However, the win was later changed to a no contest. This meant Tonya Evinger kept her title.
Yana and Tonya had a rematch on March 25, 2017. Yana lost this fight by a rear-naked choke submission. On August 31, 2017, Yana defeated Raquel Pa'aluhi at Invicta FC 25. This win made her the new Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion.
Fighting in the UFC
Yana Santos joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2018. Her first UFC fight was on March 3, 2018, against Cris Cyborg. This was for the featherweight title. Yana lost the fight by TKO in the first round.
Key UFC Bouts
- On October 6, 2018, Yana faced Lina Länsberg and won by unanimous decision.
- She then fought Marion Reneau on March 9, 2019, winning by unanimous decision.
- On December 7, 2019, Yana lost to Aspen Ladd by technical knockout.
- Yana was scheduled to fight Ketlen Vieira in August 2020. But her opponent changed to Julija Stoliarenko. Yana won this fight by unanimous decision.
- The fight with Ketlen Vieira was rescheduled for February 20, 2021. Yana won by unanimous decision.
- On July 10, 2021, Yana faced Irene Aldana. Yana lost this fight by technical knockout.
- Yana fought former UFC champion Holly Holm on March 25, 2023. Yana lost by unanimous decision.
- On July 1, 2023, Yana fought Karol Rosa in a featherweight bout. Yana lost by split decision.
- Yana was supposed to fight Norma Dumont in January 2024 but had to pull out due to a broken nose.
- On August 10, 2024, Yana faced Chelsea Chandler. Yana won the fight by unanimous decision.
- Yana fought former UFC champion Miesha Tate on May 3, 2025. Yana won this fight by unanimous decision.
Yana's Personal Life
Yana Santos is married to Thiago Santos, who is also a professional fighter. Yana has a son from a previous relationship. Yana and Thiago got engaged in December 2020.
In August 2021, Yana announced that they were expecting their first child together. Some fans thought she might have been pregnant during her fight a month earlier. However, Yana said this was not true. Fighters in Nevada must take pregnancy tests before each fight.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Invicta Fighting Championships
- Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion (One time)
- Performance of the Night (twice) vs. Tonya Evinger and Raquel Pa'aluhi
- Other
- 2007 K-1: World GP in Amsterdam
- 2007 Russian Taekwondo Champion
- 2010 Bushido Women's MMA Champion
- 2011 Russian Muay Thai Champion
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 25 matches | 16 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 3 |
| By submission | 1 | 2 |
| By decision | 8 | 3 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 16–8 (1) | Miesha Tate | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo | May 3, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Des Moines, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 15–8 (1) | Chelsea Chandler | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Tybura vs. Spivac 2 | August 10, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (141 lb) bout; Chandler missed weight. |
| Loss | 14–8 (1) | Karol Rosa | Decision (split) | UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov | July 1, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Featherweight bout. |
| Loss | 14–7 (1) | Holly Holm | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen | March 25, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | San Antonio, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 14–6 (1) | Irene Aldana | TKO (punches) | UFC 264 | July 10, 2021 | 1 | 4:35 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (139.5 lb) bout; Aldana missed weight. |
| Win | 14–5 (1) | Ketlen Vieira | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis | February 20, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (138 lb) bout; Vieira missed weight. |
| Win | 13–5 (1) | Julija Stoliarenko | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik | August 8, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–5 (1) | Aspen Ladd | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik | December 7, 2019 | 3 | 0:33 | Washington, D.C., United States | |
| Win | 12–4 (1) | Marion Reneau | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos | March 9, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Wichita, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 11–4 (1) | Lina Länsberg | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 229 | October 6, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Loss | 10–4 (1) | Cris Cyborg | TKO (punches) | UFC 222 | March 3, 2018 | 1 | 3:25 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–3 (1) | Raquel Pa'aluhi | Decision (unanimous) | Invicta FC 25 | August 31, 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Lemoore, California, United States | Won the vacant Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 9–3 (1) | Tonya Evinger | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Invicta FC 22 | March 25, 2017 | 2 | 4:32 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | For the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. |
| NC | 9–2 (1) | Tonya Evinger | NC (overturned) | Invicta FC 20 | November 18, 2016 | 1 | 1:59 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | For the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. Performance of the Night. Originally a submission (armbar) win for Kunitskaya; overturned after Evinger appealed the loss due to a controversial referee call. |
| Win | 9–2 | Wu Yanan | TKO (punches) | Fightspirit Championship 6 | September 4, 2016 | 2 | 0:32 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Zaira Dyshekova | Submission (armbar) | ACB 32 | March 26, 2016 | 1 | 3:38 | Moscow, Russia | Catchweight (137 lb) bout. |
| Win | 8–1 | Sylwia Kusiak | TKO (corner stoppage) | Baltic Arena 1 | June 15, 2012 | 1 | 0:50 | Koszalin, Poland | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Win | 7–1 | Anna Melikhova | Decision (unanimous) | Lion's Fights 1 | March 3, 2012 | 2 | 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 6–1 | Ekaterina Saraykina | TKO (punches) | Verdict FC 1 | February 11, 2012 | 1 | 1:05 | Moscow, Russia | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 5–1 | Arune Lauzeckaite | TKO (punches) | Bushido Lithuania: Hero's Lithuania 2011 | November 19, 2011 | 1 | 1:34 | Vilnius, Lithuania | |
| Win | 4–1 | Cindy Dandois | TKO (punches) | M-1 Challenge 22 | December 10, 2010 | 1 | 0:34 | Moscow, Russia | Featherweight bout. |
| Win | 3–1 | Kamila Bałanda | TKO (punches) | Bushido Lithuania: Hero's Lithuania 2010 | November 20, 2010 | 1 | 4:26 | Vilnius, Lithuania | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Maria Hougaard Djursaa | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Gala 14 | May 29, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Odense, Denmark | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Win | 2–0 | Vladena Yavorskaya | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bushido FC: Legend | November 28, 2009 | 1 | 3:20 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Magdalena Jarecka | TKO (punches) | K-1 World Grand Prix: Poland 2009 | May 23, 2009 | 1 | 1:38 | Łódź, Poland | Bantamweight debut. |
Pay-per-view bouts
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV Buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 222 | Cyborg vs. Kunitskaya | March 3, 2018 | T-Mobile Arena | Paradise, Nevada, United States | 260,000 |
See also
In Spanish: Yana Kunitskaya para niños
