UFC flyweight Taila Santos came closer than most to dethroning flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko. “Bullet” Shevchenko has looked invincible in the past few years, her UFC record tarnished only by two losses to Amanda Nunes in the bantamweight division. Taila Santos took Shevchenko to a tough decision back in June, and is now accusing the champ of running from a potential rematch. Santos made her case in a recent interview with MMAFighting.
“We’ve been asking for fights over and over again — asking for the rematch, really. Tiago [Okamura, manager] spoke with Mick [Maynard] and the UFC, informed them I was well and training. They even said that Valentina was running. She asked them for fights, but not against me.
Santos Accuses Shevchenko of Running from Rematch
I’m training and waiting, but it’s been hard to get a fight,” she said. “I wanted the rematch, but Valentina didn’t agree to it. Based on her social media, she’s just traveling.”
Shevchenko, after the Santos fight marked her seventh consecutive title defense, has been linked with a potential trilogy fight against Nunes. Taila Santos, however, thinks the flyweight champion is afraid to have her ground game – or lack thereof – exposed by a more experienced grappler.
“All the girls say Valentina is a monster, but I’ve been saying for a while she has no ground game. I showed that there was no reason to fear [her]. I knew she wouldn’t accept a rematch after that fight. I called her out anyway, but I knew she wouldn’t take the risk of losing her belt. She wouldn’t rematch me after I showed she was no big deal. She’s scared.”
The notion that Shevchenko totally lacks any ground game is somewhat misguided, as the boasts seven submission victories in her pro MMA career. Taila Santos, on the other hand, is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt – the second-lowest rank – with three submission victories, one of them coming recently against elite flyweight Joanne Wood.
In the event that Santos is not granted an immediate rematch against Valentina Shevchenko, she wants a top-ranked opponent to prove that she deserves another title shot.
“I’m ranked No. 2 in the UFC, so I would like to fight someone around me. I would like to fight the No. 1, [Manon] Fiorot, or the one below me, [Katlyn] Chookagian. People keep talking and talking, mentioning fighters that have retired already, but no one says my name.”
Do you think Shevchenko is afraid of Santos? Let us know in the comments.
