In a thrilling bantamweight clash at UFC Vegas 106, Luana Santos made history Saturday night at the UFC Apex, becoming the first female in UFC history to secure a victory via Americana submission.
The all-Brazilian matchup featured two stars from São Paulo, with Santos moving up from flyweight to face Tainara Lisboa, who was returning after a lengthy absence following knee cartilage reconstruction surgery.
Santos wasted no time showing her grappling prowess, securing a takedown just 90 seconds into the opening round. Though Lisboa initially displayed active defense from her back, Santos maintained dominant position in half-guard for much of the frame. Even when Lisboa managed to stand briefly in the final minute, Santos quickly returned the fight to the canvas.
The second round saw Lisboa come out with renewed energy, landing crisp combinations and mixing in kicks that momentarily had Santos retreating. However, the momentum shifted dramatically when Santos caught a kick and converted it into another crucial takedown.
From there, Santos showcased her ground control, first securing a scarf hold position that allowed her to land short punches while completely neutralizing Lisboa’s movement. When Lisboa finally escaped the headlock with approximately 90 seconds remaining, Santos seamlessly transitioned to take her back before ultimately advancing to mount.
With just seconds remaining in the round, Santos locked in the Americana submission. As the commentary team noted, “She’s cranking on it, just a few seconds left.” Lisboa tapped with only one second remaining before the horn, giving Santos the victory at 4:59 of round two.
The historic submission win puts Santos back in the win column after her previous loss to Casey O’Neill and validates her decision to move up to the 135-pound division.
For Lisboa, the defeat snaps her 2 bout winning streak in the UFC, though her competitive showing after over a year away from competition suggests she’ll remain a tough challenge in the division moving forward.
"I doubt she's gonna get that." pic.twitter.com/SsXT1avCd7
— calfkicker (@calfkickercom) May 18, 2025
