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UFC Vegas 17: Taila Santos not concerned with ranking after win over Gillian Robertson

By Thomas Albano

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 19: In this handout image provided by UFC, (R-L) Taila Santos of Brazil punches Gillian Robertson of Canada in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 19: In this handout image provided by UFC, (R-L) Taila Santos of Brazil punches Gillian Robertson of Canada in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) /
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Taila Santos says a spot in UFC rankings would be nice but not necessary.

It should be safe to say Taila Santos has established herself as one to watch out for at women’s flyweight following her dominant win over Gillian Robertson at UFC Vegas 17.

The fight was expected to be the typical striker vs. grappling battle, with Santos looking to keep the fight on the feet and outstrike the more Octagon-experienced Robertson. However, even when the fight got to the ground, Santos seemed prepared and was able to outwork her opponent.

“That was our strategy,” Santos said in her backstage post-fight interview. “I could keep the fight, where I wanted, and I’m very happy for my performance. My game plan was to do a stand-up fight. But I was not worried about [going to] the ground. I was very well prepared for this fight. So once the fight went to the ground, I knew I was ready to fight her.”

Taila Santos reflects on big win over Gillian Robertson at UFC Vegas 17

The fact that it was such a one-sided victory in Santos’ victory came as a surprise to some around the MMA community. While Robertson had struggled to break through into higher contention than she was placed at, Santos had gone just 1-1 in the Octagon since winning on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Santos credits her gameplan for leading her to a successful outing and says the fight wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

“I was not expecting an easy fight. And I knew that Robertson was very, very tough. But I am happy for my performance that I could perform tonight.

“She attacked me twice. The first round and the last round was dangerous, but nothing that I was not ready to defend myself.”

With a win over Robertson, one would have to wonder of the potential that Santos’ name shows up towards the tail end of the UFC rankings when it’s updated.

Santos, however, says while having a number next to her name would be nice, it’s not necessary.

“I would be very happy if my name showed up in the rankings, but I’m not worried about it. Just want to fight, [whoever] [and] step up to fight in the UFC.”

Next. UFC Vegas 17: Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal live results and highlights. dark

UFC Vegas 17 took place on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, live from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV. Follow along with FanSided, who was on-site, for all your live news and highlights.

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