"If I want to keep my job" - UFC wanted to 'punish' Yana Santos if she refused to fight opponent who missed weight

Yana Santos (pictured) after her win over Chelsea Chandler. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]
Yana Santos (pictured) after her win over Chelsea Chandler. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Yana Santos has been facing an unfair streak lately in her UFC career. Time and again, the 35-year-old has gone up against opponents who failed to make weight. The very scenario unfolded once again this past weekend at UFC 320.

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Last Friday, Santos' opponent Macy Chiasson tipped the scales at 137.5 pounds, a pound and a half over the allowed limit for non-title bantamweight bouts. While Chiasson was penalized 25 percent of her purse for the violation, 'Foxy' believes graver consequences need to be enforced to avoid such scenarios.

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Regrettably, the most unfortunate part of the whole ordeal is that Santos felt compelled to fight despite the weight miss. Failing to do so, she feared, would see her being cut from the world's premier MMA organization.

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Speaking to MMA Fighting, Santos revealed that she had once been forced by the UFC to face an opponent who had missed weight by a considerable margin:

"A couple of fights ago, when my opponent missed a lot of weight and we were thinking, should we take the fight or not, UFC made it very clear that the person who will be punished is me if I refuse to fight. So, I’m not getting paid, I have a chance to be cut and all these things... It’s like the opponent who missed weight is [not] going to have a problem. It’s me that has problems. So, I can’t see that as an option. It is what it is. If I want to keep my job, I have to fight." [H/t MMA Fighting]
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While the fighter didn't reveal the identity of the opponent, when Santos took on Chelsea Chandler in 2024, Chandler weighed 141 pounds, four pounds over the contracted weight limit.


Yana Santos suggests harsh punishment for missing weight

Yana Santos is disturbed by many of her opponents showing little remorse after missing weight. The Russian feels a lack of substantial punishment has made weight misses a recurring affair in the promotion.

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Addressing the media during the post-fight press conference at UFC 320, 'Foxy' urged the promotional brass to enforce harsher penalties for the violation, including heavier pay deductions and even fight-altering consequences:

"UFC doesn't give enough punishment for fighters who miss weight. I think it is the biggest reason why a lot of people [are] missing weight. If you get at least 50% fine and one point deduction, I think there will be many fewer people who do this."

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Edited by Ujwal Jain
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