Athletes
Luana Santos | Vegas Vibes
Brazilian Bantamweight Is Loving Life In Las Vegas, And Plans On Rounding Out The Year With A Statement Win In Her Adopted Hometown
With three UFC victories to her name and nicely settled in her new home of Las Vegas, Luana Santos says she’s ready to take her game to a new level as she looks to climb the UFC’s women’s bantamweight ladder.
Santos arrived on the world stage in August 2023 with a 5-1 record and immediately made her mark with a first-round TKO of Juliana Miller on her Octagon debut, and subsequent wins over Stephanie Egger and Mariya Agapova. A decision loss to Casey O’Neill saw the Brazilian take her first UFC defeat, but she bounced back with a second-round submission of Tainara Lisboa in May.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
Now she’s set to take on Canada’s Melissa Croden, whose Octagon debut saw her defeat Lisboa via third-round TKO in October. With a shared opponent in their most recent respective outings, it’s a matchup that makes plenty of sense for both women, and a challenge that Santos is excited to take on.
“I told everyone it’s a tough fight. We're talking about someone who is tough and has experience. She's got 10 years on me,” she said.
“I could see from her fight that she is someone that doesn't have quit in her. You can see someone that gets a flash knockdown, and she comes back, and she gets up back to win the fight. I have that characteristic, so you’ll see two people that just really want it.
Blockbuster Card Kicks Off UFC & Paramount+ Era January 24
“I think she had a well-deserved win against Tainara. I think she was very strategic. I'm ready. I'm prepared. We're both ready for this fight, and I think the best will come out of it. It will be me, and I will have another win on Saturday.”
Santos was originally set to follow up her victory over Lisboa with a bout against Darya Zheleznyakova on November 8. Then, when the Russian athlete was forced off the card, Croden agreed to step in on short notice.
Luana Santos Submits Agapova | UFC Denver
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 Submits Agapova | UFC Denver
/
The bout was then rescheduled to December 13, and now, after a stop-start build-up, Santos finally gets to step into the Octagon at the UFC’s final event of the year.
“I was supposed to fight in November, but obviously the fight fell through. But it just gave me time for it to prepare. I’m happy,” she explained.
“I'm ready for it, very excited, and just in good spirits for this one. One more win.”
Receiving the news of the bout’s postponement so close to the fight was a difficult situation to deal with, and forced Santos to stop and take a reset before launching into a six-week mini-camp to recalibrate things for this weekend’s rearranged date.
“It’s obviously tough, because I found out about a week before the fight was supposed to happen that the fight fell through. So you kinda get disappointed, because you’re ready to fight,” she explained.
UFC fighter Luana Santos and I did a Step-Brothers re-make for Pluto TV lmao! How was our acting? pic.twitter.com/o1NrKi8kb7
— Nina-Marie Daniele (@Ninadrama) December 9, 2025
“At that moment, I had to take a week off. You need to take a week off, otherwise it’ll be too hard on the body. So you have to take a week off, and then have a full camp of six weeks. Everything went fine, camp was complete, and we’re ready to go.”
Fortunately for Santos, she is part of one of the most respected MMA gyms in the world. The Sao Paulo native made the decision to move to Las Vegas to be a part of the city’s Syndicate MMA team on a full-time basis. Being in the city also puts her in the perfect spot to take advantage of all the facilities the UFC has to offer athletes via the UFC Performance Institute. It’s a move Santos said has already made a huge difference.
“I love being at Syndicate,” Santos enthused.
“It’s actually been selected as one of the best gyms of the year. Same thing for (head coach) John (Wood), one of the best coaches of the year. You have a former champion in Merab. I love being around those people. I think it’s been very good for me.
“Also, Vegas is kind of my vibe. I love seeing people. I love being around people, too. And having the infrastructure, and everybody from the PI, the help they have here from the UFC, it all contributes. So it’s been very good for me, and great for my career.”
With all the pieces in place, Santos plans on making the most of everything at her disposal to take her game to the highest level possible. And her constant desire for improvement will ensure that she’s always chasing the next incremental gain in her technique, whether it’s on the ground or in the stand-up
“I am an athlete that wants to get better. I am someone that's always trying to evolve. Someone who’s trying to improve their game,” she said.
MORE FIGHT NIGHT: Journey To Main Event | Megan Olivi Chats With Royval | Kape Interview | King Green: One Of One | Undeniable Gillian Robertson | Exciting Charriere
“The ground game is something I can do. It is my bread and butter. You've seen me do it before. It is my forté. But I’ve tried improving that game too.
“I have improved my striking, as well. That's something I always tried to improve. There are many areas in which I got better, and I hope that you will see that.”
That evolution will get its latest showcase on Saturday night when Santos faces Croden in a women’s bantamweight matchup on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape at the UFC APEX.
For the 25-year-old, it’s the latest chance to test out what she’s learned in the gym as she looks to put plans in place for a big year in 2026.
“I want to evolve, I want to be active, and I want to have more opportunity. So I want to fight as soon as possible (in 2026),” she said.
“I think that on April 11, I know there's a card in Miami. I would love to be on that card. It’s a city I’ve never fought in. There's a name that I could be calling out, as well. So next year I want to get that fight, I want to get that win, and I could be fighting in the top 10, top seven, perhaps this next year.”
FULL EVENT REPLAY - UFC BJJ 4: Tackett vs Dorsey
To make that dream a reality, Santos knows she needs to deliver an eye-catching performance against Croden this weekend. And the judo black belt plans on doing exactly that at the UFC APEX on Saturday night, though she admitted she couldn’t accurately predict how she’ll get the job done until it actually happens.
“One thing I can never predict is actually how a fight is going to be won. One punch can change the fight and change things,” she said.
“So I don't know exactly how I'm going to guarantee the victory – the fight’s going to tell that. But one thing I can guarantee you guys – there will be a post-win dance!”
UFC fight Night: Royval vs Kape took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 13, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!