Opponents Yana Santos and Luana Santos are both chasing a fourth consecutive win at UFC Vegas 123

Yana Santos and Luana Santos are in similar positions ahead of their UFC Vegas 123 encounter. Both women will be determined to emerge victorious this weekend, with one of them on a likely title challenging campaign.

Yana Santos and Luana Santos have more than just the same name

The UFC Vegas 123 encounter between Yana Santos and Luana Santos is a curious one. Both women share the same surname, with Yana having married once feared UFC light heavyweight knockout artist Thiago Santos, who challenged Jon Jones for the divisional strap back at UFC 329. However, another similarity between the two women is their current run of form. Yana is on a three-fight win streak, having scored unanimous decision wins over Chelsea Chandler at UFC Vegas 95, ex-women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate at UFC on ESPN 67, and Macy Chiasson at UFC 320.

These wins have earned Yana the #6 spot in the UFC women's bantamweight division. One more win should be enough to elevate her to the top five, which is where her opponent, Luana, resides, at least according to the UFC Meta Rankings, which has her at #4. The UFC Media Panel, however, ranks as the #7 women's bantamweight. She's within touching distance of Yana, because she's on a three-fight win streak of her own, having submitted Tainara Lisboa in round two with a rare keylock at UFC Vegas 106, and scored two unanimous decision wins over Melissa Croden and Karol Rosa at UFC Vegas 112 and UFC Vegas 119 respectively.

A win this weekend will be fundamental to her plans to work her way into title contention (0:23):

"Sometimes it's better to have a loss at the right time than a win at the wrong time, so I think that that helped me center and helped me focus, and that's what you want when you come in here. I do also have three wins against three tough opponents, and that's what I'm aiming for. To just have better opponents every time, have better shots because I'm looking for that title."

While Yana is neither the biggest name nor highest-level fighter in the division, she's a 36-year-old veteran who has been in the UFC since 2018. She has managed to turn back the clock by putting a previous three-fight skid behind her by authoring a three-fight win streak, and she's now looking to score her fourth consecutive win in what will also be her first fight in 2026. Unfortunately, Luana will be standing in her way in pursuit of her own fourth consecutive win. She has youth on her side at just 26 years old, and has only ever lost once in the UFC, dropping a unanimous decision to Casey O'Neill at UFC 305.

Their bout will be the second on the main card of UFC Vegas 123 and the outcome should shake up the top five of the women's bantamweight division.