Is Yana Santos married? Exploring the UFC star's relationship status, family, and personal life

Yana Santos is a professional mixed martial artist hailing from Russia. She competes in the UFC bantamweight division and is 5-5 in the promotion.

Santos made her octagon debut in an unsuccessful featherweight title bid against the then champion Cris Cyborg in the main event of UFC 222 in 2018.

Is Yana Santos married?

Yana Santos tied knots with former light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos. The couple has been dating since 2019 and announced their engagement in December 2020. Following her marriage, the Russian changed her surname from Kunitskaya to Santos.

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Yana now trains with American Top Team after relocating to Florida. She and Santos have children from previous relationships named Tiago and Adam, respectively. In April 2022, the couple gave birth to their first child together, Alise Santos.

The two also manage a non-profit organization that provides free mixed martial arts training to kids from low-income households. Prior to her fight with former teammate Holly Holm at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen in 2023, Yana opened up about making her octagon return after having a daughter in 2022 and thanked her husband for his unconditional support, saying:

''Because I lost my last fight, it was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to come back after having my baby. “I had a talk with my husband and all I said was, ‘I feel like I’m losing it,’ because last fight was not good for me, and it motivated me so much to come back as fast as possible. I found balance. I’m always focused on my family but, at the same time, I keep training. I was training all my pregnancy until the last day and, as soon as possible, I came back to the gym. I’m so lucky that I have an amazing husband.” [H/t: ufc.com]

As for the recent MMA outings, Yana snapped her three fight losing streak by securing a unanimous decision win over Chelsea Chandler at UFC Vegas 95 last year. The 35-year-old is now set to face Miesha Tate on the main card of UFC Des Moines this weekend at Wells Fargo Arena.

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena