No Rematch

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will not rematch Taila Santos and Valentina Shevchenko despite their UFC 275 nail biter last June and will instead send the Brazilian contender into a potential title eliminator opposite 125-pound phenom Erin Blanchfield at the Feb. 18 “Fight Night” event, tentatively scheduled for the APEX facility in Las Vegas.

Blanchfield made the announcement on Morning Kombat.

Santos (19-2) made her mark on Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in summer 2018 and after racking up a 4-1 record inside the Octagon, took Shevchenko to the absolute limit in their pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event in Singapore.

As for Blanchfield (10-1), still just 23, her run inside the Octagon has been perfect since crossing over from Invicta FC in late 2020. “Cold Blooded” is coming off back-to-back submission finishes over JJ Aldrich and Molly McCann.

The latest rankings would suggest Manon Fiorot as the next flyweight title challenger.

The Feb. 18 fight card will also feature the middleweight showdown between Abus Magomedov and Gerald Meerschaert. Elsewhere on the card, Philipe Lins will once again attempt to hook ‘em up with Ovince Saint Preux at 205 pounds.