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Almost no one gave Taila Santos a chance to dethrone the most dominant champion in MMA today. The woman from Santa Catarina believed and proved to be on the same level of Valentina Shevchenko this Saturday, in the co-main event of UFC 275, on Sunday morning (Saturday night in Brazil) in Singapore. Despite taking down the champion in four out of five rounds and taking her back numerous times, however, Taila didn’t do enough to win the fight in the eyes of the side judges, who gave Shevchenko the split decision victory (48-47, 47- 48, 49-46). The result was booed by the audience, and Santos left the octagon to applause.
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– I came here, I gave my all, and you can be sure that this won’t be the last time you see me fight for the belt. I expected a tough fight, but I gave my all here and I’m prepared for the next one – said the Brazilian.
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Valentina Shevchenko (left) receives the belt after the announcement of her victory over Taila Santos (right) — Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
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The victory meant the seventh consecutive successful defense of Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight, breaking the record she shared with Ronda Rousey for successful defenses by a woman in the UFC.
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Valentina landed the first blow, an answering hook over Taila’s jab. The two had trouble finding the best distance. After almost two minutes of little activity, the Brazilian threw straight punches on the walk and Valentina grabbed her. However, the Kyrgyzstan didn’t try to take down and just tried to wear down the challenger next to the fence. When she finally tried to take it down, she ended up falling underneath, and Taila caught her back. The Brazilian closed the triangle at the waistline and tried to close the rear naked choke “by force”, with her arm over her chin. But Valentina resisted until the end of the first round.
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Taila Santos (left) controls the back of Valentina Shevchenko (right), who defends her right arm to prevent the submission — Photo: Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images
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Behind in the score, Valentina was more aggressive in the second round. She unleashed a high round kick that passed close to the head and threw in a few more straights and low kicks. Taila took advantage of the approach, grabbed the champion and pressed her against the railing. The Santa Catarina native managed to take the fall by wearing the Kyrgyzstan’s left leg with more than three minutes left in the period. Valentina took the risk of attacking with an aggressive guard, and received a favor from referee Jason Herzog, who ordered the two to get up – Taila, in fact, did not take advantage of the advantage position on the ground. Back on her feet, the champion surprised with a nice judo takedown, but the Brazilian swept and ended the round on top.
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Taila was more accepting of the standup fight in the third round. She tried some kicks and punches. Valentina grabbed her and knocked her down, but the Brazilian didn’t stay on the ground, she got up quickly. It was a round with less activity, and the Asian audience started a “hello” in the arena. In the second half, Taila grabbed Valentina once more and knocked her down. She stabilized her back position and, again, tried to take her neck “in force”, even with her arm over the champion’s chin. Valentina defended herself as best she could.
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Taila Santos (left) took down Valentina Shevchenko (right) in four of the five rounds of the fight — Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
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A clash of heads, however, left Taila’s right eye swollen, which was practically closed at the start of the fourth round. She didn’t see a powerful left kick from the Kyrgyzstan, but Herzog stopped the fight shortly after because of an accidental kick by Valentina in the genital region. This allowed the Brazilian some time to adapt. Brave, Taila continued fighting, risking front kicks to the body and legs. Shevchenko connected more, but the Brazilian took down again in the final seconds.
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– I couldn’t see anything in the third round. I tried to keep my eye open and I was seeing two Valentinas, so I closed it – admitted Santos.
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After being “shaken up” by coach Márcio Malko, Taila Santos returned for the last round willing to exchange blows with the champion. Valentina landed a good right, but Taila grabbed her again and, even being knocked down, reversed the position. The Brazilian sought control in the back once again, but Valentina came out from under her legs and returned to striking. The Kyrgyzstan hit a good combination, went in the legs and took down Taila. Shevchenko was on top at half-guard and didn’t progress, just landed short jabs to the ribs, while the Brazilian responded with elbows to the ribs. This time, Herzog let the combat continue on the ground until the siren sounded.
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Check out the full results:
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