Taila Santos surprised by 2024 PFL 4 win over Jena Bishop: 'I wasn't expecting her to be as good'

Taila Santos admits she might’ve underestimated her opponent this past Thursday at 2024 PFL 4.

The former UFC title challenger fought and defeated Jena Bishop by split decision. Santos (21-3) had plenty of success in the first two rounds, but then was pushed in the grappling department by Bishop in the third. Although victorious and off to the playoffs, Santos didn’t expect to have that much difficulty with Bishop.

“Maybe I wasn’t considering her that high level before fighting her, but now feeling it and fighting her and understanding what she’s about, she’s one of the best out there,” Santos told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at 2024 PFL 4. “The best? We don’t know because there are some girls I haven’t fought, but for sure she’s up there.

“There’s Liz (Carmouche), Dakota (Ditcheva), who’s being pushed really hard by the PFL. We still don’t know how good she is, but similar with Jena. I wasn’t expecting her to be as good as she was.”

This is Santos’ first season with the PFL and her second bout with the promotion since leaving the UFC, surprisingly. The Brazilian is happy with her decision to part ways with the UFC.

“I don’t think there’s much of a change besides my mental well-being because here I feel a lot more comfortable compared to where I was before, and the schedule helps a lot,” Santos said. “Just knowing when you’re fighting there’s a lot more stability than where I was before and that makes a world of difference, just knowing where you’re going.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 4/a>.