"She's like a little Amanda Nunes" - Din Thomas says things could go wrong for Valentina Shevchenko if she underestimates Taila Santos

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Din Thomas (left), Valentina Shevchenko and Taila Santos (right) [Images courtesy: ESPN MMA and UFC via YouTube]

Din Thomas believes that things may not end well for Valentina Shevchenko if she takes Taila Santos lightly in their upcoming title fight.

Thomas recently sat down with ESPN MMA to preview Saturday’s women’s flyweight title bout. He discussed what makes Santos a dangerous opponent for the UFC women's No.1 pound-for-pound fighter. Thomas compared Santos to her fellow Brazilian Amanda Nunes and opined that the challenger is like a smaller version of 'Lioness':

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"She [Shevchenko] rarely makes mistakes, but Taila Santos cannot be taken lightly. I cornered Jillian Robertson to fight her [Santos], and when she grabbed Jillian, I remember, 'Run Jillian run, get out of there.' I was like, 'This girl is special.' I remember watching her thinking she's like a little Amanda Nunes. Taila Santos can't be taken lightly, she can't be disrespected in this fight. If Valentina underestimates her for one second, things could go wrong."

Further in the conversation, Thomas stated that the Brazilian is ready to face a high caliber athlete like Valentina Shevchenko and has all the confidence to dethrone the champion this Saturday.

Watch Din Thomas and Anthony Smith preview Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos below:

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Valentina Shevchenko looks set to solidify herself as best women's flyweight

Valentina Shevchenko looks ready to solidify her status as the best women's flyweight and the pound-for-pound greatest in women's MMA. The 34-year-old captured the vacant women's flyweight gold in December 2018 by defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk and has been absolutely dominant in the division.

'Bullet' has dominated six challengers since, ending four of those fights via stoppage. The champion is currently on an eight-fight win streak with her most recent victory coming over Lauren Murphy last September via fourth-round TKO.

Shecvhenko is the betting favorite to emerge victorious this Saturday, but her next opponent will certainly be one of the biggest challenges of her illustrious career.

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With a sole blemish on her professional MMA record, Taila Santos (19-1) has had a dominant career of her own. The Brazilian made an unsuccessful UFC debut in February 2019 but rattled off four straight victories thereafter. She capped it off with a first-round submission of Joanne Wood in November 2021.

Santos will be in her first UFC title bout this Saturday and will look to pull off a huge upset with a win over Shevchenko.

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