UFC Flyweight Taila Santos Shocked by How ‘Easy It Was’ When Going Toe to Toe Against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275
UFC 275’s co-main event was a fight that ended up surprising several people with the competitive nature of the scrap. Chiefly, whenever Valentina Shevchenko fights, it’s a foregone conclusion that she’s going to steamroll her opponent and notch yet another impressive title defense.
However, that was not the case at UFC 275 when Taila Santos truly brought the fight to Shevchenko and even managed to snag the victory in the eyes of some fans.
Speaking to Combate following her impressive showing at UFC 275, Santos talked about how she was surprised by the ease of the fight. Per Santos, Valentina Shevchenko is not the ‘monster’ that she is made out to be and she believes her own preparation helped her carry through a star-making performance on the fight.
“Actually, what surprised me was how easy it was. I expected that in some areas it would be a lot more difficult. But that’s what I wanted to show, that she’s not that monster, that invincible girl that other girls passed by,” Santos said to Combate. “I was there with respect, she has been there for many years with the belt, so I prepared a lot, I went in ready to unveil her, to show that she is not that monster.”
She also commented on how easily she ended up taking down Shevchenko every time ‘The Bullet’ made a mistake. This allowed Santos to capitalize on several different occasions and secure a dominant position.
“I was even surprised because I thought it’s going to be hard to take her down, it’s going to be hard to impose my game, she’s a tough and smart girl, but in the end it was much easier than I imagined. When I went to the grid I managed to take down super easily, I managed to get the back, keep dominating, that surprised me. I expected a little more difficulty and in the end it was easier.” [h/t bjpenn.com]
Taila Santos will certainly eye a rematch against Valentina Shevchenko in the hopes of becoming the undisputed flyweight champion. A win over ‘The Bullet’ would make her an all-time great in the eyes of many.
