Taila Jaine dos Santos (born June 22, 1993) is a Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who currently competes in the women's

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

division of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

(PFL). She formerly competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

, where she challenged for the

UFC Women's Flyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

in June 2022.

Background

With her father being a

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

coach, she started training it at the age of 16, soon afterwards being enrolled in a championship at Chute Boxe of Curitiba, which Taila went to win. Taila started to train Jiu-Jitsu, with her father organizing an MMA fight so that Taila could debut in the sport. She went and won again. Afterwards, her father contacted Marcelo Brigadeiro to organize the trip to Astra Fight, in

Balneário Camboriú Balneário Camboriú () is a coastal city in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. The city is built on steep hills which drop down to the sea. It is a popular tourist destination for South Americans, who are drawn to its main ocean b ...

, where she resides today.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After going the distance in her 2013 pro debut, she would go on to finish her next 10 bouts in the first round. In 2016, her one appearance came against Laisa Coimbra for the Aspera FC Bantamweight Championship. She won the title with an 87-second knockout — via a punch to the body. Taila set to fight with fellow Brazilian prospect

Mariana Morais Mariana Morais (born May 3, 1995) is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. From April 2020 to October 2020, Fight Matrix had Morais ranked within the top 10 of the rankings for Women's Featherweight+, r ...

, but Morais withdrew from the Aspera FC 32 bout. Being booked for her Invicta FC debut against

Irene Aldana Irene Aldana Robles (born March 26, 1988) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of September 17, 2024, she is #6 in the UFC wo ...

, Santos had to pull out due to visa issues. After two year layoff, she was invited onto Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 2 where she faced off at Flyweight against Estefani Almeida. She won the unanimous decision and earned a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Santos made her UFC debut against

Mara Romero Borella Marachiara Romero Borella (born June 3, 1986) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Borella taught Judo and was a personal trainer be ...

on February 2, 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2. She lost the fight by split decision. Taila faced

Molly McCann Molly Maria McCann Pearson (born 4 May 1990) is an English former mixed martial artist. She is a former Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion and formerly competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Ear ...

on 16 July 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Santos was scheduled to face

Maryna Moroz Maryna Moroz ( Ukrainian: Марина Мороз; born September 8, 1991) is a Ukrainian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Moroz is also a box ...

on December 5, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori. However on November 18, it was announced that Moroz had to pull out and she was replaced by

Montana De La Rosa Montana De La Rosa (née Stewart) (born February 14, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). She competed in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background De La Rosa was born in Helena, Montana, United S ...

. Just hours before the event, the UFC decided to remove the fight after one of De La Rosa's cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. Santos was then rescheduled to face

Gillian Robertson Gillian Elizabeth Robertson (born May 17, 1995) is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, she is #9 in the UFC wome ...

two weeks later at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal. Santos won the fight via unanimous decision. Santos was scheduled to face

Roxanne Modafferi Roxanne Vincenta Modafferi (born September 24, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial artist, who most recently fought for the UFC. Though she last fought in the flyweight division, she has fought in multiple weight classes in her career. She ...

on May 8, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 24 ''UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 24'' and ''UFC Vegas 26'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 8, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, ...

. However, Modafferi was forced to pull out from the event citing a meniscus tear. Santos was scheduled to face Mandy Böhm on September 4, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 191 ''UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 191 '' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 49'' and ''UFC Vegas 36'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 4, 2021, at th ...

. However, Santos was pulled from the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by

Ariane Lipski Ariane Lipski da Silva (; born 26 January 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She competed in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is a former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki#Women's flyweight championsh ...

. Santos faced

in a flyweight bout on September 25, 2021 at

UFC 266 ''UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 25, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United S ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Santos faced

Joanne Wood Joanne Wood (; born 23 December 1985) is a Scottish retired professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai champion who competed in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Biography Wood first started Mu ...

on November 20, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 198 ''UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN+ 56'', ''UFC Vegas 43'' and ''UFC Fight Night 198'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 20, 2021 at the UFC A ...

. After knocking Wood down twice, Santos won the bout via rear-naked choke at the end of the first round. This fight earned her the ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award. Santos faced

Valentina Shevchenko Valentina Anatolyevna Shevchenko (born March 7, 1988) is a Kyrgyz professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, former Muay Thai fighter and Kickboxing, kickboxer. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight divisi ...

for the

on June 11, 2022, at

UFC 275 ''UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Procházka'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 12, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Champi ...

. She lost the close bout by split decision, becoming the first fighter to win on a judge's scorecard against Shevchenko, in the flyweight division. Santos was scheduled to face

Erin Blanchfield Erin Blanchfield (born May 4, 1999) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is a former Eddie Bravo Invitational champion. As of May 13, 2025, she ...

on February 18, 2023 at

UFC Fight Night 219 ''UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 219'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 77'', and ''UFC Vegas 69'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 18, 2023, at ...

. The main event fight between

Cory Sandhagen Cory James Sandhagen (born April 20, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional sin ...

and

Marlon Vera Marlon Andrés Vera Delgado (born December 2, 1992), also known as Chito Vera, is an Ecuadorian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 25, ...

was rescheduled to another event, and Santos' fight against Blanchfield was promoted to the main event. However, just one week out from the event, Santos withdrew after her cornermen were denied visas into the United States and was replaced by former

UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

Jéssica Andrade Jéssica Fernanda da Costa Andrade (born September 25, 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight and Flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a ...

. The match with

was rebooked and took place on August 26, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 225 ''UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 225'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 83'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 26, 2023, at the Singapore ...

. She lost the bout via unanimous decision. On November 7, 2023, it was announced that Santos was no longer under contract with the UFC.

Professional Fighters League

On March 1, 2024, it was reported that Santos signed with

. Santos was scheduled to make her debut against

Denise Kielholtz Denise Kielholtz (born 30 March 1989) is a Dutch female Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She has competed professionally since 2004 and is the current Bellator Kickboxing Women's Flyweight Champion. ...

on April 4, 2024 at PFL 1. However, a week before the event it was announced that Kielholtz had pulled out and she would instead face llara Joanne. Santos won the bout by a rear-naked choke submission at the end of the first round. Santos faced Jena Bishop at PFL 4 on June 13, 2024. She won the bout via split decision. Santos faced

Liz Carmouche Liz Carmouche (born February 19, 1984) is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently signed to the PFL. She formerly competed in Bellator MMA, where she was the last Bellator Women's Flyweight World Champion. Carmouche also competed for ...

in the semi-finals of the 2024 Women's Flyweight tournament at PFL 7 on August 2, 2024. At the weigh-ins, Carmouche missed weight by 1 pound, coming in at 127 pounds. Santos won the bout via unanimous decision. In the final, Santos faced

Dakota Ditcheva Dakota Lili-Joa Ditcheva (; born 25 July 1998) is a British mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter currently competing in the women's Flyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She was part of the British team at th ...

on November 29, 2024, at PFL 10. She lost the bout by technical knockout via body punches in the second round leading to the first knockout loss in her career. On January 15, 2025, it was announced that Santos was join the 2025 PFL World Tournament in their flyweight division. In the quarterfinal, Santos is scheduled to face Juliana Velasquez on April 11, 2025, at PFL 2. However, Santos withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Ekaterina Shakalova.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(One time) **Tied (

Ariane da Silva Ariane Lipski da Silva (; born 26 January 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She competed in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is a former KSW Women's Flyweight Champion. Background da Sil ...

) for most knockdowns in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (3) **Most submission attempts in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (9) **Highest takedown accuracy percentage in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (75.0%) **Highest takedown defense percentage in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (85.3%) *Aspera Fighting Championship **Aspera FC Bantamweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 22–4 ,

, TKO (punches to the body) ,

PFL 10 (2024) The ''PFL 10'' mixed martial arts event for the 2024 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on November 29, 2024, at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This was the finale of the playoffs for all weight divisions ...

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Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

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Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–3 , Jena Bishop , Decision (split) ,

PFL 4 (2024) The ''PFL 4'' mixed martial arts event for the 2024 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on June 13, 2024, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, United States. This marked the fourth regular-season event of the tour ...

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Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 , Ilara Joanne , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

PFL 1 (2024) The ''PFL 1'' mixed martial arts event for the 2024 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on April 4, 2024, at the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, United States. This marked the first regular-season event of the ...

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San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–2 ,

, Decision (split) ,

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, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 19–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:49 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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, Decision (unanimous) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–1 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0 , Estefani Almeida , Decision (unanimous) , Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 , Laisa Coimbra , KO (punch to the body) , Aspera FC 43 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Paranaguá Paranaguá (Tupi language, Tupi, 'Great Round Sea') is a city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. Founded in 1648, it is Paraná's oldest city. It is known for the Port of Paranaguá, which serves as both the sea link for Curitiba, ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 , Bruna Rosso , KO (elbow) , K.O. Combate 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:06 ,

Caçador Caçador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the states of Brazil, state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. History The banks of the Do Peixe River (Santa Catarina) ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Gisele Moreira , Decision (unanimous) , Aspera FC 23 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Joinville Joinville () is the largest city in Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the Southern Brazil, Southern Region of Brazil. It is the third largest municipality in the southern region of Brazil, after the much larger state capitals of Curitib ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Gisele Pereira , TKO (head kick) , Aspera FC 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Navegantes Navegantes (, ''Seafarers'') is a coastal and tourist city located in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. The population is 83,626 (2020 est.) in an area of 112.0 km². Ministro Victor Konder International Airport serves the popular b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Wellen Taynara Sobrinho , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Aspera FC 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lages Lages is a Brazilian municipality located in the central part of the state of Santa Catarina, in the region known in Portuguese as "Planalto Serrano". It is located in the mountain region of and is also the largest municipality of Santa Catari ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Ana Paula da Silva , TKO (punches) , Noxii Combat 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Juliana Martins , Submission (keylock) , Aspera FC 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

Curitibanos Curitibanos is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Santa Catarina. It is located at 27º16'58" south latitude and 50º35'04" west longitude, at an elevation of 987 metres. It has an area of 953.67 km² and its population, according t ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Daniela Cristina Patricia , TKO (elbows) , Aspera FC 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:26 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Gabriela Bueno , Submission , MMA Total Combat 2 , , align=Center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

São Bento do Sul São Bento do Sul is a municipality, pop. 85,421 (2020) located in southern Brazil, in the northeast part of the state of Santa Catarina, just south of the state of Paraná. Industry São Bento do Sul is considered to be an industrialized ci ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Marta Souza , KO (punch) , Aspera FC 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Itapema Itapema is a city in Santa Catarina, Brazil. History Colonization The Azoreans already in the communities of São Miguel and Santo Antônio were responsible for the settlement of the bay of Porto Belo, where they helped found the parish of ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Rachael Cummins , TKO (punches) , XFC International 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:28 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Geisyele Nascimento , KO (head kick) , University of Champions 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kessiny Mara , TKO (punches) , Aspera FC 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Josiane Nunes de Lima , Decision (unanimous) , Striker's House Cup 31 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Taila 1993 births Living people Brazilian female mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters Brazilian female Muay Thai practitioners Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners People from Jaraguá do Sul People from Balneário Camboriú Martial artists from Santa Catarina (state) 21st-century Brazilian sportswomen