Yana Santos Bio
Yana Santos, born Yana Kunitskaya on November 11, 1989, in Murmansk, Russia, is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women’s bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Standing 168 centimeters tall with a 174-centimeter reach, she is widely recognized for her well-rounded skill set built across more than fifteen years of competition. Santos, who also fights under the ring name “Foxy,” previously held the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship and currently holds a place in the UFC’s official bantamweight rankings. She is regarded as one of the most experienced Russian fighters on the active UFC roster.
Santos has built her professional career since 2009, competing across bantamweight and featherweight divisions. Training out of Jackson Wink MMA and American Top Team, she is a black belt in taekwondo and has developed a versatile striking and grappling game. Her professional record reflects a fighter who has faced top competition on multiple continents, earning respect for her durability and tactical approach inside the cage.
Early Life and Background
Yana Santos was born in 1989 in Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast, located in the remote northwestern region of Russia. She grew up in a deeply athletic household. Her mother, Olga Kunitskaya, was a professional gymnast, and her father, Joseph, was a professional skier, giving Yana an early exposure to elite-level sport. She also has a younger sister named Victoria, completing a family environment shaped by discipline and physical training.
Santos became involved in martial arts during her early childhood, beginning her training in taekwondo while still in preschool. The sport quickly became a central part of her daily routine, and she went on to earn a black belt in the discipline. At the age of twelve, she began competing in hand-to-hand combat, marking her first steps toward competitive fighting. By sixteen, she relocated to St. Petersburg, where she joined the boxing team at Lesgaft National State University, broadening her striking base.
At eighteen years old, Santos transitioned fully into mixed martial arts, combining her taekwondo and boxing foundation with new grappling skills. Her move to St. Petersburg gave her access to stronger training partners and more structured coaching, setting the stage for her professional debut a year later in 2009. These formative years shaped the balanced skill set that would later define her career in major international promotions.
Path to MMA
Santos made her professional mixed martial arts debut on May 23, 2009, at a K-1 World Grand Prix event in Poland, where she defeated Magdalena Jarecka by technical knockout in the first round. The win announced her arrival on the European scene and was followed by a string of regional victories across Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. In December 2010, she added a notable victory over undefeated prospect Cindy Dandois at M-1 Challenge XXII, finishing the fight in just 34 seconds by technical knockout.
Through 2011 and 2012, Santos continued to build her record on the European circuit, winning fights against opponents including Arune Lauzeckaite, Ekaterina Saraykina, Anna Melikhova, and Sylwia Kusiak. In August 2012, she announced that she was expecting her first child, and in August 2013, she announced her retirement from competition in order to transition into coaching. However, the break from competition lasted only three years, and she returned to active fighting in 2015. Shortly afterward, she signed a contract with Invicta Fighting Championships, marking her entry into one of the most respected all-women’s MMA promotions in the world.
Yana Santos Career
Early Career (2009–2012)
Santos’s earliest professional years were spent competing across European promotions, including K-1, M-1 Challenge, Bushido Hero’s, Verdict Fighting Championship, Lion’s Fights, and Baltic Arena events. She quickly established herself as a dangerous striker, finishing multiple opponents by technical knockout within the first round. Her victory over Cindy Dandois in 34 seconds became one of the defining moments of her early run and signaled her potential to compete at a higher level.
During this period, Santos also gained experience going the distance, earning a unanimous decision win over Anna Melikhova in 2012. Her development as a complete fighter, blending knockout power with the ability to win rounds on the scorecards, helped her earn a reputation as a rising star in the European bantamweight and featherweight divisions. Her pregnancy announcement in 2012 and subsequent retirement in 2013 paused this momentum, but the foundation she built in these years would prove essential to her later success.
Invicta FC Breakthrough (2016–2017)
After returning from retirement, Santos signed with Invicta Fighting Championships, where she would compete for one of the most prestigious bantamweight titles in women’s MMA outside the UFC. On November 18, 2016, she faced Tonya Evinger for the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship and initially appeared to have won the bout. However, the result was later overturned to a no contest, and Evinger retained the title. The two met again in the main event of Invicta FC 22 on March 25, 2017, where Santos lost by rear-naked choke submission in the second round.
Santos did not have to wait long for another shot at the title. On August 31, 2017, at Invicta FC 25, she defeated Raquel Pa’aluhi to capture the vacant Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. The victory cemented her status as one of the top bantamweights outside the UFC and served as her ticket to a contract with the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion. Her two title fights with Evinger and her championship win over Pa’aluhi remain highlights of her Invicta FC tenure.
UFC Era (2018–Present)
Santos made her UFC promotional debut at UFC 222 on March 3, 2018, where she challenged Cris Cyborg for the women’s featherweight title. She lost the fight by technical knockout at 3:25 of the first round, but the opportunity confirmed her place among the elite of the division. She bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Lina Länsberg at UFC 229 in October 2018, followed by another unanimous decision victory over Marion Reneau at UFC Fight Night 146 in March 2019.
Her first setback in the UFC came against Aspen Ladd at UFC on ESPN 7 in December 2019, where she was stopped by technical knockout in the third round. She responded with back-to-back unanimous decision wins over Julija Stoliarenko at UFC Fight Night 174 in August 2020 and former title challenger Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 185 in February 2021. A loss to Irene Aldana by first-round technical knockout at UFC 264 in July 2021 was followed by a unanimous decision loss to former champion Holly Holm at UFC on ESPN 43 in March 2023 and a split decision loss to Karol Rosa at UFC on ESPN 48 in July 2023.
Santos was forced to withdraw from a scheduled bout with Norma Dumont at UFC Fight Night 234 in January 2024 due to a broken nose, but returned at UFC on ESPN 61 in August 2024 to defeat Chelsea Chandler by unanimous decision. In 2025, she continued her strong form with a unanimous decision win over former champion Miesha Tate at UFC on ESPN 67 in May, followed by another unanimous decision victory over Macy Chiasson at UFC 320 in October. These performances helped her climb the official UFC women’s bantamweight rankings.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most memorable moments of Santos’s career came at Invicta FC 25, where she captured the vacant bantamweight title with a win over Raquel Pa’aluhi. Her 34-second finish of Cindy Dandois in 2010 remains one of the fastest stoppages of her career. More recently, her back-to-back decision wins over former champion Miesha Tate and Macy Chiasson in 2025 helped establish her as a top-five contender in the UFC’s bantamweight division.
Yana Santos Career Wins
Yana Santos has compiled a professional record built across more than two dozen fights, with victories spread across regional European shows, Invicta Fighting Championships, and the UFC. Her wins have come by a balanced mix of knockouts, submissions, and decisions, reflecting the well-rounded skill set she has developed since her debut in 2009. Several of her victories have come against former champions and top-ranked contenders, underscoring the quality of opposition she has faced throughout her career.
UFC Highlights
Since joining the UFC in 2018, Santos has secured notable wins over Lina Länsberg, Marion Reneau, Julija Stoliarenko, Ketlen Vieira, Chelsea Chandler, Miesha Tate, and Macy Chiasson. Her unanimous decision victory over Vieira in February 2021 was particularly significant, as Vieira was a top contender at the time. The 2025 wins over Tate and Chiasson represent her most recent and most consequential victories inside the Octagon.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the UFC, Santos captured the vacant Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship with a win over Raquel Pa’aluhi in 2017. She also compiled a strong run of finishes during her early European career, with technical knockout wins over Magdalena Jarecka, Cindy Dandois, and Arune Lauzeckaite, among others. These performances helped establish her as a respected finisher before her transition to the highest levels of the sport.
Yana Santos Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Yana Santos was raised in Murmansk, in northwestern Russia, by a family with a strong athletic heritage. Her mother, Olga Kunitskaya, was a professional gymnast, while her father, Joseph, was a professional skier. She also has a younger sister, Victoria. This sports-oriented household gave Yana early exposure to structured training and competition, which helped shape her path toward a career in martial arts.
Personal Life
Santos is married to Thiago Santos, a former UFC fighter who currently competes in the Professional Fighters League. The couple became engaged in December 2020, and in August 2021, Yana announced that they were expecting their first child together. She also has a son from a previous relationship. The family is based in St. Petersburg, Russia, where Yana continues to balance her fighting career with family life.
2025 Season Performance
Yana Santos entered 2025 as a seasoned veteran of the UFC women’s bantamweight division, determined to push her way back into title contention. Her campaign began with a high-profile matchup against former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate at UFC on ESPN 67 on May 3, 2025. Santos delivered a composed performance, controlling the action across three rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory and reaffirm her place among the division’s elite.
She followed up that win with another impressive showing at UFC 320 on October 4, 2025, where she faced Macy Chiasson in a catchweight bout. Once again, Santos relied on her cardio, timing, and grappling defense to secure a unanimous decision. The result pushed her up the official UFC women’s bantamweight rankings, where she is currently ranked among the top five fighters in the division.
With momentum on her side and a championship run still firmly within reach, Santos appears positioned for a potential title eliminator in the months ahead. Her training base at Jackson Wink MMA and American Top Team gives her access to some of the best coaching and sparring partners in the sport. As 2025 comes to a close, she remains one of the most experienced and dangerous contenders in the women’s bantamweight division.