Former title challenger Taila Santos opens up on her unexpected departure from the UFC: “I wasn’t very happy”

Former UFC title contender Taila Santos has given her thoughts on her unexpected release from the promotion.

Following her bout with Valentina Shevchenko, many felt as if Taila Santos was the rightful UFC women’s flyweight champion. Alas, she didn’t get the nod on the scorecards, and she went on to lose to Erin Blanchfield last summer. From there, she was released by the UFC, which left many feeling confused as she was seen as a top fighter in the division.

RELATED: Former UFC title challenger Taila Santos signs with the PFL

Since then, she’s opted to sign for PFL, and she’ll make her debut this week against Ilara Joanne. In a recent interview, Taila spoke out about how it all went down.

Santos’ frustration

“Yeah, I was in the UFC, but I wasn’t very happy,” Santos told MMA Junkie in Portuguese. “Everything started when I fought for the belt against Valentina (Shevchenko). I clearly won that fight, and it was one of the first tough fights Valentina had ever had in her career. No other fighter had done what I did against her.

“I was able to take her down to the ground and keep her there, while also blocking her attacks on the feet. So many people wanted to see the rematch, and the fans were asking for it. I believe I deserved the rematch, the opportunity, but it didn’t happen.”

“There were also some uncomfortable aspects around dates and the calendar,” Santos said. “I would fight once, and then there would be no dates, and I would have to wait, and there were just so many delays. There wasn’t a calendar. It was a lot of waiting after each fight, and I wasn’t happy. So I just chose to fight out my contract and not renew.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

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