Five Straight Decisions for Yana Santos

Three times in a row, she waited for the announcer to read the scorecards. Three times in a row, the judges raised her hand. Yana Santos doesn't leave bodies on the canvas, she leaves scorecards. And that's what has her at No. 6 in the Meta UFC women's bantamweight rankings.

🥊 Quick Profile

Name: Yana Santos
Record: 17-8-0
Trademark: Her last 5 fights all went to decision. UFC finish rate: 0%.

The High-Five Block

Her last 5 results (most recent to oldest):

• ✅ Macy Chiasson — Unanimous decision UFC 320
• ✅ Miesha Tate — Unanimous decision UFC Fight Night
• ✅ Chelsea Chandler — Unanimous decision UFC Fight Night
• ❌ Karol Rosa — Split decision UFC Fight Night
• ❌ Holly Holm — Unanimous decision UFC Fight Night

Record: 3 wins, 2 losses. She's riding three straight wins, but she's coming out of a rough stretch where she lost to Holm and then to Rosa.

The Origin Story

About her youth, we know nothing. Age, hometown, first steps in the sport: nothing documented, so nothing to tell. Here, we talk about what we can prove.

First solid fact: Yana Santos came through Invicta FC, where she was women's bantamweight champion. The title is the résumé. The rest is her UFC stats.

Her MMX profile is BALANCED. No dominant specialty, no gimmick. She strikes with precision (57.9%), keeps a solid output (4.4 strikes per minute), and manages her fights over the distance. She's not the brawler who gets the crowd on its feet. She's the accountant who shows up at the end with the right numbers.

The Good Rhythm, the Bad Habit

Her recent run comes in two parts. First, two setbacks: Holly Holm by unanimous decision, then Karol Rosa on a split decision. That one, she was a single judge away from avoiding.

Then the bounce-back: Chelsea Chandler, Miesha Tate, Macy Chiasson. Three unanimous decisions, the last one at UFC 320. Not a single round of panic in the results, just consistency.

The detail that matters is the strike differential:

• Landed: 4.4/min ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
• Absorbed: 3.1/min ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓

That's roughly +1.3 per minute in her favor. Over 15 or 25 minutes, that makes the difference on the scorecards. But it doesn't scare anyone: 0% finish rate means no opponent is going to the mat thinking about their next round.

That's the real story of this profile. Yana Santos earned her spot in the top 6 without ever forcing a stoppage. She built a streak by winning cleanly, without finishing anyone. It's effective and a bit frustrating, and you can't call it spectacular.

Useless Trivia

• Her last 5 fights all ended on the scorecards. Zero finishes in the streak.
• She was Invicta FC women's bantamweight champion before the UFC.
• She absorbs 3.1 strikes per minute and lands 4.4. That gap (+1.3/min) is a big part of her résumé.

The MMX Eye

Let's be clear: our data tells us nothing about Luana Santos. No record, no stats, no style. So no bulletproof pick, just a read on Yana.

The stat to watch is her takedown defense: 51.6%. Half the time, she gets taken down when someone attacks her. On the offensive side, she doesn't make up for it: 0.8 takedowns per 15 minutes, at 47.1% accuracy. If the fight turns into a grappling battle, it could get frustrating fast. Her striking defense (52.8%) is solid, but not airtight.

Most likely scenario: a fight that goes to the scorecards, with Yana working at range and piling up points. Nothing in her stats points to a stoppage, either way. A fourth straight win would push her toward the top 5.

Is she a safe pick for your prediction in La Ligue? Pretty much yes if you trust the decision. Probably not if you're the type who's looking for a first-round KO. Yana isn't your ally for that.

Yana Santos is the former Invicta champ who turned patience into a UFC ranking. Do you think she'll win her next fight? Come make your picks and challenge your friends on MMX.

📋 On the same card: See all the profiles from UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan

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