Amanda Lemos is determined to secure another shot at the UFC women’s strawweight championship.

The Brazilian, defeated by unanimous decision by Zhang Weili in a title bout last year, has since rebounded towards the summit of the division with a win against Mackenzie Dern this past February — but if she intends to land that title bout against the Chinese titleholder down the line, she faces a must-win contest this weekend in the UFC’s Apex facility against her compatriot, the 20-3 Virna Jandiroba.

8-2 in her past 10 fights, Lemos is about as dangerous a boxer as there is in the division and her bout with Jandiroba appears to be, on paper at least, a classic striker vs. grappler matchup — given Jandiroba’s stellar record of 13 submissions in her 20 wins.

Lemos, though, has some serious power in her hands. Just asked the formerly third-ranked Marina Rodriguez, whose November 2022 bout with Lemos you can watch in full below.

–