Amanda Lemos was fully outclassed in her first title shot towards incumbent champion, Weili Zhang. She was out gunned. Out wrestled. Throughout three scorecards, Lemos was given one spherical by one choose. Lemos knew she needed to get higher.
Amanda Lemos trip to the title
On first look, Brazil’s Amanda Lemos has every thing to grow to be a fan favourite fighter within the girls’s strawweight division. Her spotlight reel boasts a number of finishes that make a fan query how far that energy can take her. Sadly for Lemos, the trip to the title had not been a straight and slim one.
When she made her UFC debut, it was a bantamweight combat. Lemos, who fights 20 kilos under that at strawweight, was outsized massively. However that’s what she needed to do to get into the UFC.
After the loss, which was a second-round knockout, Lemos made the very best out of her time. She choked out Miranda Granger in 2019 and adopted that up with a choice win over Mizuki Inoue. In 2021, she began so as to add on to that spotlight reel of hers and knocked out each Livinha Souza and Montserrat Ruiz, each within the first spherical.
She was given a shot on the high of the division, a title eliminator towards the previous champion Jessica Andrade. Beating a former champion is one thing that the UFC at all times seems to be for when pushing a fighter in direction of competition. She was choked out in an embarrassing method: a standing arm triangle in spherical one.
Lemos didn’t let that hassle her. Spherical two of her subsequent combat noticed Lemos choke out the always-difficult Michelle Waterson-Gomez. She lastly punched her ticket with a third-round knockout of Marina Rodriguez. The stage was set for a title combat.
Arising brief
The day UFC 292 rolled round; the 36-year-old Amanda Lemos was fairly optimistic. She hit onerous and had discovered from her previous errors. Marina Rodriguez was a tricky contender with good putting and Lemos dominated that combat from bell to bell. Another step up and she or he’d be champion.
Sadly, Weili Zhang was just too good for the skilled Brazilian veteran. After promising to “set the octagon on fireplace” Lemos was outright dominated.
On the flawed aspect of 30, Lemos knew her time was up and {that a} new title shot was unlikely given how good girls’s 115 was. However that thought wouldn’t win and Lemos would combat to have one other shot at UFC gold.
The return: A win over Mackenzie Dern
After six months off, Amanda Lemos returned with a vengeance. She took on Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298. She jumped out to an early lead successful the combat on the scorecards.
Now, Lemos is within the eyes of one other contender, this time a surging Virna Jandiroba. A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skilled, Jandiroba is on a three-fight successful streak. Crazy Godinez, Marina Rodriguez and Angela Hill had been all accomplished in by Jandiroba. Ranked 5 to Lemos’ #3, Jandiroba is hoping to make an announcement with a win come this weekend.
Now 37, Lemos can not let this occur. She must punish Jandiroba for daring to make use of her as a leap to the highest three of the division. A win might not get her a title shot, however it is going to be a second straight win and eliminating one other hopeful contender.
