UFC Fight Night: Amanda Lemos Goes Aggressive to Counter Virna Jandiroba’s Wait-and-See Approach

Amanda Lemos has seen it all in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Almost.

Five-fight win streaks, first-round finishes, challenging victories and painful losses: she’s seen it all. The only feather missing from her cap, however, is the strawweight title.

The second fight of Amanda’s 2024 campaign is set for this week’s main event in Las Vegas against Virna Jandiroba. The former championship challenger made a successful comeback to the ring at UFC 298 in February, defeating Mackenzie Dern by unanimous decision.

Brazilian competitor Amanda won the first two rounds on all three scorecards and then held off a fierce late push from Dern, who had taken Tatiana Suarez’s place a few weeks before the event. On paper it looked like an easy win, with Amanda scoring 29-28 overall. In practice, however, it was a very competitive fight.

“We (Amanda and her support staff) don’t give in to any kind of pressure before a fight, and my focus remains solely on Virna. And once I beat her, hopefully I’ll be closer to another title shot,” the southpaw said ahead of a fight that could catapult her into the women’s strawweight rankings.

Amanda came agonizingly close to the title last year when she took on Zhang Weili head-to-head, but lost after a competitive five-round fight. But she wants to bury the ghosts of her past and add another fight to her win column.

“At first it was not a good feeling. But after a while I put my head down and said, ‘This is not my time. My time is not over and it is coming soon,'” she said.

“Regardless of the outcome, I am always optimistic and try not to live in the past. I try to get back to my schedule and start training soon. I try to stay active as much as possible, which has helped me overcome the loss of last year,” Amanda added.

Of the 14 wins in her UFC career to date, 11 have been straight-up finishes and have come in the first round. As the stats suggest, Amanda looks to switch gears quickly and overpower her opponent when she sees an opportunity to exploit.

On the other hand, Jandiroba was once an aggressive wrestler, having scored eight first-round finishes. But lately, she has switched to a more relaxed approach, mastering the waiting game to perfection. Her last four fights have gone the full three-round quota, all by unanimous decision.

When asked if her aggression would help her get the upper hand on Jandiroba, Amanda said, “That’s who I am. I go into the cage and try to get a straight finish. I want to win the fight as quickly as possible. For me, every fight is the same. Whether it’s Virna or whoever, I go into it with the same mindset.”

Amanda, who made her MMA debut in July 2014, will celebrate her 10-year anniversary on Sunday with a first-round submission win, something she is often known for.