Amanda Lemos has done her due diligence studying Jessica Andrade’s fights in preparation for their UFC Fight Night headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
But Lemos couldn’t help but lean into Andrade’s pair of scraps with Rose Namajunas a little more. This makes sense considering Namajunas stands as the current UFC women’s strawweight champion and her fights with Andrade provide a glimpse of Lemos’s immediate future this weekend and what could be against the champ as well.
What was her main takeaway from Namajunas avenging a devastating knockout loss in a slam heard around the world in May 2019 with a split-decision over Andrade in July 2020?
Well, Lemos was flat out impressed with the champion's mettle.
“She knew that Jessica was going to be really aggressive in that fight so she kept her distance and played the right game,” Lemos told DAZN News in Portuguese through an interpreter.
“It was really nice to see.
“I’m a big fan of her,” she continued heaping praise onto “Thug Rose’s” name. “She’s a great athlete, she’s very humble and I cannot wait to fight her.”
And that’s what makes Saturday’s fight all the more special as Lemos knows that a win over Andrade could inch her one step closer to a possible clash with Namajunas. The 10-ranked Lemos (11-1-1) understands the scope of what’s at stake against a former world champion like Andrade.
“Fighting Jessica is an opportunity for me in my career,” Lemos said.
“It’s an opportunity to show I can go five rounds. It’s an opportunity for me to go up in the rankings to fight someone like her and also to get closer to a title shot.
“If I win and convince, I foresee myself actually fighting for and having a title shot by this year,” she tacked on. “By the end of this year.”
The 34-year-old Brazilian enters this weekend’s bout on a tear, riding a five-fight win streak and having last defeated veteran Angela Hill via a hard-fought split decision in December. The victory rounded out a banner 2021 as he previously defeated Montserrat Ruiz in July and Livia Renata Souza in March — each by first-round TKO (punches).
“If I could pinpoint anything that has led to this streak it would be the unity in my team and dedication that they have toward me,” Lemos said, “and for me and they can see the evolution in my fighting.”
So can mixed martial arts fans and critics alike and that brings Lemos’s anticipation for this weekend to a fever pitch.
“I’m really motivated for this fight, I’m very focused on this fight,” Lemos said, “and I cannot wait until Saturday for this fight to happen.”