Yana Santos was born in 1989, in the city of Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast, in northwestern Russia. Her mother, Olga Kunitskaya, was a professional gymnast and her father, Joseph, was a professional skier. She has a younger sister, Victoria.
Yana became involved in martial arts early in her childhood, starting with taekwondo when she was in preschool, and won numerous tournaments among both girls and boys, with many fights ending in knockouts.[6] At 12 years old, she began competing in hand-to-hand combat (Russian: рукопашный бой), participating in a large number of fights without suffering a defeat. When she was 16 years old, Santos went to live and study in St. Petersburg and entered the Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health team at the Department of Boxing. At age 18, she started practicing mixed martial arts (MMA).
On August 9, 2012, Santos announced that she was pregnant with her first child.[7] In August 2013, she announced the end of her sports career and her transition to coaching, but she came out of retirement three years later.[8] She then signed a contract with the Invicta Fighting Championships, where she has been holding a world champion title since 2016.[9]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Santos made her professional MMA debut on May 23, 2009, at a K-1 World Grand Prix event in Poland. She defeated Magdalena Jarecka by technical knockout (TKO) in the first round. After winning two of her next three fights, Santos faced unbeaten prospect Cindy Dandois at M-1 Challenge XXII on December 10, 2010. She defeated Dandois by TKO in 34 seconds.[10] On November 19, 2011, Santos faced Arune Lauzeckaite at Bushido Hero's: World Grand Prix Lithuania, winning by TKO in the first round.[11]
In 2012, Santos faced Ekaterina Saraykina at Verdict Fighting Championship 1 on February 11,[12] defeating Saraykina by TKO in the first round.[13] In March, she faced Anna Melikhova at Lion's Fights 1[14] and won by unanimous decision after two rounds.[15] She then defeated Sylwia Kusiak by TKO in round one at Baltic Arena in Koszalin, Poland, in June.[16] Santos was scheduled to face Danielle West at Starlight Events: Gladiator World Cup 2012 on July 6 in Marbella, Spain,[16] but the event was cancelled.[17]
Santos had fought almost exclusively in Russia,[11][18] and built her record to 9 wins and 2 losses before signing to Invicta FC.
Invicta Fighting Championships
Yana defeated Tonya Evinger for the Invicta FC Bantamweight title on November 18, 2016.[19][20] On December 1, the win was overturned to a no contest, so Evinger retained her title.[21] Santos faced Evinger in a rematch in the main event of Invicta FC 22 on March 25, 2017, and lost by submission in the second round.[22]
Santos defeated Raquel Pa'aluhi at Invicta FC 25 on August 31, 2017, to win the vacant Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship.[23]
The bout with Ketlen Vieira was rescheduled and eventually took place on February 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 185.[36] At the weigh-ins, Vieira weighed in at 138 pounds, two pounds over the women's bantamweight non-title fight limit. She was fined 20% of her purse which went to Santos and the bout proceeded at catchweight.[37][38] Santos won the fight via unanimous decision.[39]
Santos faced Irene Aldana on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264.[40] At the weigh-ins, Aldana weighed in at 139.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. Her bout proceeded at catchweight and Aldana was fined 30% of her purse, which went to Santos.[41] Santos lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[42]
Santos faced Chelsea Chandler on August 10, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 61.[50] At the weigh-ins, Chandler weighed in at 141 pounds, five pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit.[51] The bout proceeded at catchweight and Chandler was fined 20 percent of her purse which went to Santos.[51] She won the fight by unanimous decision.[52]
Personal life
Santos is married to former UFC and current Professional Fighters League (PFL) fighter Thiago Santos.[53] She has a son from a previous relationship.[54] The couple got engaged in December 2020.[55] On August 16, 2021, Santos announced that they were expecting their first child together. This led to speculation among some fans that she was pregnant during her fight against Irene Aldana, which had taken place just a month earlier. However, Santos denied these claims, noting that female fighters in Nevada, where the fight occurred, are required to undergo pregnancy tests as part of the standard medical screening before each fight.[56]
For the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. Originally a submission (armbar) win for Kunitskaya; overturned after Evinger appealed the loss due to a controversial referee call. Performance of the Night.
