Taila Santos doesn’t need anyone to believe that she can beat Valentina Shevchenko this June.
Santos will challenge Shevchenko for the UFC women’s flyweight title at the UFC 275 pay-per-view (PPV) on June 11 from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Speaking to the South China Morning News, Santos explained why it doesn’t matter if people believe in her ahead of the fight.
“First of all, I don’t need people to actually believe in me, because the only person that needs to believe that I can dethrone Valentina is myself. I’m the one who needs to believe.
“If I believe in myself, it’s going to happen regardless of what people think. Second, for those people who don’t believe in me, for them to believe, just think of the hard work.
“It’s my turn. It’s my time to have this chance. It’s my moment. I believe in all the hard work, I believe in all the journey I’ve had, and I believe that this is the time that I’m due for this.
“I do believe that when my time comes, you should start believing that I can be the one.”
Santos has certainly been impressive as of late during her run. She’s racked up a four-fight win streak over names such as Molly McCann, Roxanne Modafferi, and Joanne Wood. Of course, she’ll be taking on a whole other breed of fighter against Shevchenko, one of the UFC’s most dominant champions.
Shevchenko’s only two losses in the UFC came against Amanda Nunes, both via decision. Currently, the champion is on an eight-fight win streak and has defended her strap six times. She looks to make it seven against Santos this weekend.
What do you make of Taila Santos and her confidence heading into UFC 275? Do you think she can pull off the upset? Sound off in the comments!
Continue Reading Taila Santos: I Don’t Need Anyone To Believe I Can Dethrone Shevchenko at MMA News.