Taila Santos to Fight Erin Blanchfield on UFC Fight Night in February

Taila Santos is returning to the Octagon in February…

Before getting a rematch with champion Valentina Shevchenko, the 29-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will take on top prospect Erin Blanchfield on a UFC Fight Night card on February 18 in Las Vegas, according to ESPN.

Taila SantosBlanchfield first mentioned the matchup on the Morning Kombat program Tuesday, saying she has signed a contract.

ESPN has Santos ranked No. 8 in the world at women’s 125 pounds. Blanchfield was ranked No. 2 on ESPN’s list of MMA fighters under 25 years old earlier this month.

Santos (19-2) fell to Shevchenko in a title fight at UFC 275 last June, a very close split decision mired by a clash of heads that caused Santos to suffer a broken orbital bone.

Santos was on a four-fight winning streak prior to that loss. Santos sports a 4-2 UFC record.

Blanchfield (10-1) is 4-0 in the UFC with two straight stoppage victories. The New Jersey native beat Molly McCann via first-round submission in her most recent outing at UFC 281 last month. Blanchfield, 23, has just one career loss, to fellow UFC fighter Tracy Cortez back in 2019 under the Invicta FC banner.