Rayanne dos Santos Record: 14-9-0

Invicta run and the UFC call

Dos Santos put together her strongest stretch in Invicta FC, decisioning Katie Saull at Invicta FC 51 and then winning a five-round unanimous decision over Jillian DeCoursey at Invicta FC 53, the kind of championship-distance performance that gets a fighter noticed. Earlier, she had tested herself on the Contender Series in August 2022, dropping a unanimous decision to the dangerous Denise Gomes. The Invicta results ultimately earned her a UFC contract, signed in late 2023.

Inside the UFC

The Octagon has proven a demanding proving ground. Dos Santos debuted in December 2023 against Talita Alencar, dropping a razor-thin split decision, then lost another split decision to Puja Tomar in June 2024 in a fight that could have gone either way. She returned in May 2025 against Alice Ardelean and again came up short on the cards by unanimous decision, leaving her still chasing that first UFC win despite competitive showings. An earlier regional setback to Alexia Thainara, who submitted her in 2021, underscored how thin the margins can be at the top.

Fighting style

Dos Santos is a grappler to her core, an aggressive submission hunter whose armbar has been the defining weapon of her career and the source of most of her eight submission wins. When she can drag a fight to the mat and impose her jiu-jitsu, she is genuinely dangerous, and her 71% finish rate among wins speaks to a fighter who closes the show when she gets her grips. The honest challenge has been the striking and the judging: a large share of her losses, including her UFC bouts, have come by decision, several of them split, against opponents who kept the fight standing and forced her to win rounds on the feet. Tightening that gap is the difference between competing and breaking through at the elite level.

Career highlights

• Decorated grappling pedigree — a multiple-time Brazilian and world-level jiu-jitsu medalist who carried that base into eight career submission wins.
• Invicta FC standout — banked back-to-back wins, including a five-round decision, to earn her UFC contract.
• Competitive UFC debut — pushed Talita Alencar to a split decision on the sport's biggest stage in her first Octagon appearance.