Her most impressive win were given right here against Joanne Picket in November 2021. Taking the fight on fast perceive, Santos earned her first “Potency of the Evening time” bonus in a one-sided bout that jumped her from No. 10 to No. 4 throughout the flyweight rankings.
The principle 3 minutes of the bout was once a way out process, every fighter searching for their distance and timing. Santos, then again, was once the one putting constant forward pressure on Picket. Finding her range, Santos unloaded a right kind transfer that dropped Picket briefly.
No longer ready to stick Picket down, Santos wasted no time to land a left hook that sent Picket back off to the canvas. Then, Santos’ grappling took over. Quickly taking Picket’s once more, Santos locked in a rear naked choke, forcing the tap from the No. 5 contender. This fight showed that Santos was once ready for the best fighters UFC had to offer. Using a four-fight win streak, it was once enough to earn Santos a shot at the title.
Santos changed into the second Dana White’s Contender Assortment grad to fight for a reputation after Alex Perez, who out of place his men’s flyweight title shot taking a look to dethrone champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Then again the check out in front of her was once like no longer the rest she’d ever faced forward of.
Defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant flyweight title in December 2018, Shevchenko defended her belt six events and jumped Amanda Nunes for the No. 1 spot on the girls’s pound-for-pound rankings.
The two met at “UFC 275: Teixeira vs Prochazka,” serving for the reason that co-main match in Singapore. The consensus seemed to be that Santos’ biggest threat to the champion was once her power on the toes, but when it were given right here time to fight, Santos’ grappling took over.
Throughout the first round, Shevchenko was once controlling the clinch reasonably smartly, and seemed for an early takedown. Santos reversed the site and was once ready to take Shevchenko’s once more. Again and again searching for a choke, Santos confused the champion to give protection to the submissions somewhat than advancing positions. This allowed Santos to stay in keep watch over for the overall two minutes of the opening round.
The next two rounds were mirror images of the principle. Shevchenko’s slight get advantages in strikes on the toes was once intently outweighed by the use of Santos’ six minutes of keep watch over time throughout the 10-minute span.
Getting into the championship rounds, Shevchenko was once ready to stick the fight standing, where she endured to show a slight get advantages over Santos, who spotted her vision impaired early throughout the round after a struggle of heads. In need of to make an observation throughout the fifth, Shevchenko secured a takedown of her private, completing the fight along with her maximum robust 5 minutes of the night time.
As Bruce Buffer made the decision skilled, Shevchenko was once the one along with her hand raised.
Although the fight didn’t transfer her approach, Santos proved she’s going to be capable of take hold of with the pound-for-pound No. 1, an impressive feat in and of itself. Santos has made essentially the most robust have an effect on of all DWCS grads, being the closest to earn UFC gold and becoming the highest-ranking grad just lately throughout the promotion.
