Luana Santos vs Tainara Lisboa: Predictions, Analysis, and Breakdown

The UFC Fight Night has an interesting bout in the Bantamweight division. This bout is between Luana Santos and Tainara Lisboa, which is set as a Preliminary Card fight, the 4th of 12 fights scheduled to be held on that night. The weight class for this fight is 135 lbs (61.2 kg).

Considering the last five matches, Luana Santos last fought in 2024, which ended in a loss, while Tainara Lisboa is on a seven-fight consecutive win streak. Here’s a quick breakdown—and who could be the smarter bet?

Fighters’ Profiles and Strength

Luana Santos – LWWWW

Luana Santos has a professional MMA record of 8 wins and 2 losses. She was born in Brazil. Currently, she is on a one-fight losing streak. In the global MMA rankings, Luana is ranked 28th among female flyweights. She is also the 91st best female fighter pound-for-pound.

Looking at her pro stats, Luana has fought 10 times. She has 1 win by TKO, 4 wins by submission, and 3 wins and 2 losses by decision.

From 2022 to 2023, she fought in Legacy Fighting Alliance. There, she earned 2 wins and 1 loss. Then, from 2023 to 2024, she fought in the UFC. She has 3 wins and 1 loss in that promotion.

On August 17, 2024, Luana lost by unanimous decision to Casey O’Neil. Before that, on July 13, 2024, she won by submission against Mariya Agapova. On December 9, 2023, she also won by unanimous decision over Stephanie Egger. However, on July 8, 2022, she lost to Jena Bishop by split decision.

One of her fights, against Keila Menezes, was cancelled because Menezes withdrew.

In her amateur career, Luana had some notable wins. She beat Angela Rosa by unanimous decision on February 29, 2020. She also won by TKO against Ana Merlin on August 31, 2019. On April 27, 2019, she won by unanimous decision against Karine Christine.

Tainara Lisboa – WWWWW

Tainara Lisboa has a professional MMA record of 7 wins and 2 losses. She was born in Brazil and is nicknamed the “Thai Panther.” Right now, she is on a 5-fight winning streak. She is ranked as the 20th best female bantamweight fighter.

In her pro career, Tainara has fought nine times. She has 3 wins by TKO, 3 wins and 1 loss by submission, and 1 win and 1 loss by decision.

In 2023, she fought in the UFC and earned 2 wins. On October 14, 2023, she won by unanimous decision against Ravena Oliveira. Earlier that year, on May 13, 2023, she won by submission over Jessica Rose Clark.

Some of her fights were cancelled. Her bout against Darya Zheleznyakova was called off because Darya withdrew. Also, her fight with Larissa Vaz on August 28, 2021, was cancelled before the event. Another cancellation was her fight against Leide Carvalho on March 21, 2020, due to the coronavirus.

SHOP: The Kickboxer Collection

Tainara lost a fight to Lorrany Santos by unanimous decision on November 8, 2020. However, she has some solid wins. On September 4, 2021, she won by TKO against Gloria Amaral. She also won by TKO against Leticia Hille on April 24, 2021.

What time is the fight?

The fight kicks off live on Saturday, 05.17.2025 at 04:00 PM ET

Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

How Can I Watch It?

If you’re interested, you can watch it on ESPN+ Pay-per-view.

Statistical Matchup

CATEGORY	LUANA SANTOS	TAINARA LISBOA
AGE	25	34
HEIGHT	5’6″	5’7″
REACH	67.0″	67.0″
PRO RECORD	8-2-0	7-0-0
FIGHTING OUT OF	Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil	Santos, Sao Paulo, Brasil

Final Prediction

Luana Santos tends to get tired after about seven minutes in most of her fights. On the other hand, Tainara Lisboa is a skilled Brazilian fighter. She holds a purple belt in jiu-jitsu and a black belt in Muay Thai. She is also a two-time world champion and has a strong chin.

Tainara has good boxing skills and decent takedowns. Plus, she has solid cardio. Luana has been away from fighting for about nine months. This break might cause some ring rust. It could also affect her confidence.

Tainara Lisboa will likely stick to her game plan and aim for a takedown. She has been training in kickboxing since she was very young, even when Luana Santos was just 10 years old. She also has deep fighting experience.

Luana looked small in her fight against Casey. Now, moving up to 135 pounds, she might look even smaller. Meanwhile, Lisboa is good at avoiding takedowns and strikes.

OVER 2.5 ROUNDS

TAINARA LISBOA TO WIN

+3.5 TAINARA LISBOA SPREAD