Yana Santos

Yana Santos, known by the nickname "Foxy" and previously competing under her maiden name Yana Kunitskaya, is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the women's bantamweight division of the UFC.

Born in Murmansk, Russia, Santos began training in taekwondo as a young child and went on to compete in hand-to-hand combat and Muay Thai before shifting her focus to mixed martial arts as a teenager. She turned professional in 2009 and spent nearly a decade fighting on the Russian and European regional circuits, sharpening her striking and building a reputation as one of the toughest bantamweights outside the UFC before signing with the promotion. She has trained with American Top Team.

Santos holds a black belt in taekwondo and built an extensive combat sports resume long before turning to cage fighting, including Russian national championship titles in taekwondo and Muay Thai and a Bushido Women's MMA championship. She later added the Invicta FC bantamweight title to her résumé, finishing Raquel Pa'aluhi to claim the vacant championship.

A rangy, technical striker with a deep traditional martial arts base, Santos combines taekwondo footwork and kicking with Muay Thai clinch work and underrated grappling, giving her a varied toolkit that has allowed her to hang with some of the division's most dangerous names.

Santos made her UFC debut in dramatic fashion, stepping in on short notice to challenge Cris Cyborg for the UFC featherweight championship at UFC 222, one of the more unlikely title-fight debuts in promotional history. She has since put together notable wins inside the Octagon over former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate

Stats last updated: October 18, 2026