Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield in works to take place in February

Highly-rated UFC flyweight contenders Taila Santos and Erin Blanchfield are likely to meet each other early next year.

At the moment, it seems February 18 is the date for the potential showdown. Santos lost her latest outing against Valentina Shevchenko via split decision, with many feeling she had done enough to dethrone the long-reigning 'Bullet'.

However, her upcoming opponent, Blanchfield, is unbeaten in the UFC and recently got the better of Molly McCann. In a statement to MMA Fighting, Blanchfield's manager, Oren Hodak, stated that his protege is ready to show that she is the best young prospect in the UFC:

"Erin is ready to show that she is the best young prospect in all of the UFC."

Taila Santos is currently the No.2-ranked contender in the UFC women's flyweight division. Santos has suffered defeats against Mara Borella and Valentina Shevchenko during her six-fight-long UFC career.

Erin Blanchfield has a flawless organizational record of four wins and no losses since joining the UFC back in 2021. Blanchfield has managed to get the better of Sarah Alpar, Miranda Maverick, JJ Aldrich, and most recently, Molly McCann.

Watch Blanchfield's most recent UFC outing here:

Half of Erin Blanchfield's UFC wins have come via stoppage, with the American finishing JJ Aldrich and Molly McCann in back-to-back bouts. Santos has only managed to finish Joanne Wood during her six organizational outings.

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Was Taila Santos in Dana White's Contender Series?

Yes. Taila Santos featured in Dana White's Contender Series 2018: Brazil 2 and faced Estefani Almeida. Santos managed to defeat Almeida via unanimous decision after three rounds of fighting.

The Brazilian was on a 15-fight winning streak before officially entering the UFC in 2019. However, Santos couldn't get past Mara Borella upon making her debut in the organization. Borella managed to edge a split decision against Santos, issuing the Brazilian her first professional defeat.

Watch Santos' most recent UFC outing against Valentina Shevchenko here:

Erin Blanchfield will likely be yet another tough test for Santos; the Brazilian has already faced Valentina Shevchenko, Joanne Wood, and Roxanne Modafferi in back-to-back bouts.

As mentioned, Blanchfield is unbeaten in the UFC and easily dispatched Molly McCann in her most recent outing. The American's only defeat in professional MMA came against Tracy Cortez while competing in Invicta FC 34.