Athletes
Luana Santos | Happy And Dangerous
Brazilian Bantamweight Has Never Felt Happier In Her Career, And Hopes Her Positivity Will Carry Her All The Way Into The Top 10.
After picking up five wins from her first six UFC fights, Brazil’s Luana Santos is ready to break into the women’s bantamweight top 10, and on Saturday night, she’ll get the chance to do exactly that.
Santos takes on No. 8-ranked contender Karol Rosa at UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi at Meta APEX. The Las Vegas venue has become a home from home for Santos, who has fought there four times, winning on each occasion. Now she’s ready to make the walk there for the fifth time and is happy to be back on familiar territory.
“I'm very happy to be here again, because even though I'm not living here anymore, Vegas will always be my home,” said Santos, who opted to move back to her native Brazil after her last fight. I love fighting the APEX. I'm undefeated here in Vegas, and I'm looking to keep it going this way. The atmosphere of the APEX is so unique, and I got used to it, so I'm always happy to be competing here.”
Watch Every UFC Event On Paramount+
Santos heads into this weekend’s fight having claimed victory in her long-awaited bout against Canada’s Melissa Croden. The pair were originally booked to fight in November, but the matchup got pushed back to December, and Santos ran out as the unanimous decision victor.
Luana Santos Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Luana Santos Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi
/
“That last fight was crazy,” Santos recalled. “The camp for the fight was so stressful, not only because of the fight cancellations and the fight itself, but I had so much stuff going on in my personal life that people close to me asked me all the time, ‘How were you able to keep focus on the fight? How did you fight, because you had so much stuff happening while you were in camp for Melissa, and you still fought.’ … I tell them, ‘That's my dream.’ Every time I step in the Octagon, I'm making my dream come true. That's what I'm here for. That's what I'm always searching for. So, being in the Octagon makes me happy, (and) I knew that I needed to be there to put an end to everything that happened in the camp.”
MORE UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Fighters On The Rise | Fight By Fight Preview | Manel Kape Wants A Championship Opportunity | Kyoji Horiguchi The Smiling Assassin
After a stress-filled build-up to the Croden fight, things have, by contrast, been far smoother and more relaxed for Santos this time around. She may have been preparing for the highest-ranked opponent of her career to date, but she managed to complete her fight camp in a much calmer state of mind.
“This time, it was just the happiest camp ever,” she admitted. “Everybody has been messaging me this week, like, ‘Oh, you look so happy, even though you're cutting weight. It's fight week, you're not stressed. How come?’ And I tell them, ‘Everything has worked out perfectly this time, everything has been on point. I couldn't be happier.’ … It's a dream come true for me just being here. Every time that I come, every time, every interview, every wake-up, every fight, it's all that I ever wanted. So, I'll always be happy to be here.”
With Santos feeling much happier with life in general, it means she can step into the Octagon without any external worries or distractions. Working on her mental approach to the sport has also been one of her big growth areas, as she explained.
“My head's in such a good place, like never before,” she said. “I always work a lot on my mental game, and this time everything has been perfect. So, it's just going to be one more fight (and) I'm very happy that everything has gone the way it should. I'm sure Saturday is going to be one more step… I'm new. I just arrived to the rankings, and I'm already fighting a top 10 fighter, so I can't wait for the next steps, and I'm very confident that on Saturday I'll be able to show everybody that it's been a very light camp, it's been stress-free, and I'm sure it's going to be a very clear thing when the fight happens. You're gonna see that in my performance.”
FIGHT WEEK INTERVIEWS: Andre Fili | Mitch Raposo | Manel Kape | Bia Mesquita | Navajo Stirling | Kyoji Horiguchi
The fight itself will see Santos take on someone who is very familiar to her. She’s had Rosa on her potential opponents list from the moment she arrived in the UFC, and now, in her seventh UFC fight, she’ll get to face her. It’s a fight that she’s been mentally preparing for ever since she first set foot in the Octagon.
“She's a very tough opponent, but I've been preparing for her for a while,” Santos said. “It's a fight that has been in my mind ever since I signed with the UFC. She's the kind of girl that, when you watch the division, you say, ‘Oh, this is a girl that I want to fight one day.’ So, to be here, to have this opportunity to fight someone like her, it's an honor for me. But at the same time, I know that I'm ready for her, I know that I know her game in full and that I'll be able to give a big show to my fans on Saturday.”
Victory over Rosa should elevate 11th-ranked Santos into the women’s bantamweight top 10 and set her on course to take on some of the division’s established contenders.
Luana Santos Stops Tainara Lisboa In Round 2 | UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Morales
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Luana Santos Stops Tainara Lisboa In Round 2 | UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Morales
/
The Brazilian admitted that she’s started to think a little about the course she could plot to the top, but the 26-year-old is going to trust the judgement of the UFC matchmakers as she continues her rise towards the division’s elite.
“I was opening the rankings last night, looking at the rankings and trying to think, like, ‘If I beat Karol, who am I getting next?’” she said. “But I think I'll leave that in the UFC’s hands, you know? Whoever gets me closer to the title shot after Karol, that's the name I want.”
ICYMI: Dana White Announces Two Title Fights For UFC's Return To Philadelphia
To get that advancement, Santos knows she has to deliver on fight night, and she said she’ll step into the Octagon ready to showcase her all-round MMA skillset against a seasoned, dangerous top 10-ranked opponent.
“It’s been a very good camp, a perfect camp,” she said. “I'm a judo specialist, I come from the judo world, so I always like to use a lot of judo in my fights, but this time my jiu-jitsu is on point, as well. My striking is on point, too.
“I think you're gonna see a Luana that is 100 percent better in every area.”
UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 20, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!