Flyweight Taila Santos hopes she can put on an exciting fight at UFC 266, despite what she thinks of her opponent.
Rising flyweight prospect Taila Santos hopes to put on a memorable performance at UFC 266, though she might have a feeling her opponent could get in the way.
Paired up against veteran Roxanne Modafferi for a bout in the preliminary portion of the card, Taila tells Super Lutas she is not very fond of the style ‘Roxy’ brings to the Octagon, but plans to fight around that problem.
Going as far as calling Modafferi a boring fighter, Santos hopes to finish Roxy or to put on a Fight of the Night performance after three rounds. Although she is aware that Modafferi will most likely try to play it safe and smother her, Taila claims to be ready for the threat the ‘Happy Warrior’ will pose.
“Once the bell rings, she’s trying to grab you,” Santos said. “She has that boring style, but I like to fight on the ground, too. In my fight against Molly McCann, I put her against the fence, I fought on the ground. I like it, too. If it favors me, I’ll take it. I believe Modafferi will do her thing, for sure.
“When I close my eyes, all I visualize is a knockout or a nice submission.” Santos continued. “Or even a great battle. One of the three, with a bonus thrown in, would be awesome.”
Currently on a two-fight winning streak, Santos (17-1) scored unanimous decision wins over both Gillian Robertson and Molly McCann, respectively in December and July 2020. The 28-year-old’s last and sole defeat happened in her Octagon debut, when she dropped a split decision to Mara Romero Borella, back in February 2019.
Now, Santos is scheduled to take on Modafferi at UFC 266, on September 25, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is expected to be headlined by a featherweight title fight between the champion, Alexander Volkanovski, and challenger Brian Ortega.