Brendan Schaub opines that Taila Santos deserved the win against Valentina Shevchenko: “Santos won that fight”
Brendan Schaub believes that Taila Santos should be the UFC women’s flyweight champion right now.
Last Saturday night, the Brazilian faced Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 275. Despite entering the fight as a massive underdog, Santos made a great account of herself. She outwrestled the champion early and nearly submitted Shevchenko in the first round.
However, the champion rallied in the later rounds. Aided by a broken orbital caused by an accidental headbutt, Shevchenko was able to work her way back into the contest. ‘The Bullet’ wound up retaining her title via a controversial split decision.
Following the bout, many thought Taila Santos deserved the win. Names such as Daniel Cormier came to the challenger’s defense. Now, Brendan Schaub can be added to the list of those who think Santos deserved the win.
The fighter-turned-podcaster discussed the fight on The Schaub Show. The former UFC heavyweight was quick to note that he hates calling fights robberies. However, he feels that Taila Santos deserved the win against Valentina Shevchenko.
“Let’s be honest here. Looking at the fight, I hate to say someone got robbed. But, you know it’s hard not to give Santos those first three rounds. After the first three, in my head I thought ‘Shevchenko needs a finish to pull this off’. Santos is a much better grappler, on the feet, it’s a world of difference. But as far as the grappling goes, Santos has the same advantage that Shevchenko has on the feet, but on the ground.”
Brendan Schaub continued, “Even though Shevchenko took her down, the grappling and the rolling of Santos really showed. I had Santos up three rounds, now you can give Shevchenko the fourth and the fifth [rounds]. But, she still lost that fight… Fair is fair. I thought Santos won that fight, and it sucks.”
What do you think about Brendan Schaub’s comments? Do you think Taila Santos deserved the nod over Valentina Shevchenko? Sound off in the comments below!
Topics:
Brendan Schaub Taila Santos UFC UFC 275 Valentina Shevchenko