Four exciting fighters in the UFC’s women’s divisions are on this weekend’s main card at the Apex in Las Vegas, including its main event, Lemos v Andrade.
The main event features No. 1-ranked flyweight Jessica Andrade cutting back down to the strawweight division to face 10th-ranked Amanda Lemos.
The main card also features rising flyweights Maycee Barber and Montana De La Rosa.
UFC Main Event: Lemos v Andrade
UFC veteran Andrade (22-9 MMA, 13-7 UFC) will see action against strawweight contender Lemos (11-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in her return to 115 pounds.
The former strawweight champion Andrade has competed with the best across three divisions in her time with the UFC. She has fought at 135, 125, and 115 pounds since her debut in 2013.
Andrade is coming off a first-round TKO win over Cynthia Calvillo at UFC 266 back in September. Prior to that, she lost by TKO in a title fight against flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 261 last April.
Now, her goal is to win the strawweight belt back which she held less than three years ago. At strawweight, Andrade is 7-3 with the three losses coming from her fellow champions: Rose Namajunas, Zhang Weili, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Throughout her career, Andrade has wins over Namajunas, Katlyn Chookagian, Tecia Torres, Angela Hill, Joanne Calderwood, Jessica Penne, and Raquel Pennington. She looks to add Lemos to the list on Saturday.
Andrade would be a huge name for Lemos to add to her own list, though. The top-ten ranked strawweight has been steadily climbing the rankings ladder and a win over a former champion would accelerate that climb.
How To Watch:
Main card on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. central time, prelims on ESPN + at 5 p.m.
Lemos is currently on a five-fight winning streak after losing her UFC debut against Leslie Smith. After the loss, Lemos tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, and was suspended from competition for two years in 2017.
Of the five wins since her return in 2019, three have been first-round finishes with two TKOs and a submission.
Both women are fast fighters with hands capable of knockout power. Andrade is at her fastest when she weighs 115 pounds so expect her to be explosive on all fronts. The hands will fly fast and fly hard but she’s excellent at changing levels and shooting for the takedown before her opponent knows what just happened to her.
Lemos is also similar in that regard. She’s also proven on the ground but most of her wins have been TKOs in her career. She will more than likely be looking to keep the fight on the feet and hope to react fast enough to hit the sprawls when needed.
Based on the implications of this matchup: former champion of the division vs contender on a five-fight win streak, the winner of this fight could see action against a top-five strawweight next.
Amanda Lemos | Jessica Andrade |
|
|---|---|---|
34 | Age | 30 |
5'4'' | Height | 5'2'' |
115 lbs | Weight | 115 lbs |
65 inches inches | Reach | 62 inches |
Angela Hill: w (Dec) | Last 5 | Cynthia Calvillo: W (TKO) |
Montserrat Ruiz: W (TKO) | Valentina Shevchenko: L (TKO) | |
Livia Renata Souza: W (TKO) | Katlyn Chookagian: W (TKO) | |
Mizuki Inoue: W (Dec) | Rose Namajunas: L (Dec) | |
Miranda Granger: W (Sub) | Zhang Weili: L (TKO) |
UFC Main Card: Barber vs De La Rosa
Before the strawweights take the cage in the main event, young flyweights take the stage on the main card.
No. 14-ranked Maycee Barber (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) lines up across from Montana De La Rosa (12-6-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) in the Octagon on Saturday night.
Barber is looking to make a statement this weekend after a close and somewhat controversial split decision victory against Miranda Maverick last July. Prior to that, Barber had back-to-back losses against Alexa Grasso and the now-retired Roxanne Modafferi.
The Dana White Contender’s Series alum started off strong. Barber put together a three-fight TKO streak, beating Hannah Cifers, JJ Aldrich, and Gillian Robertson.
An alum from The Ultimate Fighter TV show herself, De La Rosa participated in the season that crowned the inaugural UFC flyweight champion. She lost to eventual winner Nicco Montano in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Since then, she has scored wins over Ariane Lipski, Mara Romera Borella, Nadia Kassem, Rachael Ostovich, and Christina Marks. All but one of her UFC wins have been finishes. In addition, an impressive eight of her 12 wins during her career have been submissions.
Between both fighters, expect to see some jiu-jitsu work if the fight makes it past the first round.
A win for either fighter most likely means taking the No. 14 ranking and getting a fellow top-15 opponent next.
Maycee Barber | Montana De La Rosa |
|
|---|---|---|
23 | Age | 27 |
5'5'' | Height | 5'7'' |
125 lbs | Weight | 125 lbs |
65 inches inches | Reach | 68 inches |
Miranda Maverick: W (Dec.) | Last 5 | Ariane Lipski: W (TKO) |
Alexa Grasso: L (Dec.) | Mayra Bueno Silva: Draw | |
Roxanne Modafferi: L (Dec.) | Viviane Araujo: L (Dec.) | |
Gillian Robertson: W (TKO) | Mara Romero Borella: W (Dec.) | |
JJ Aldrich: W (TKO) | Andrea Lee: L (Dec.) |
Full Card Betting Odds
Main Card
Strawweight: Amanda Lemos (+155) vs Jessica Andrade (-180)
Heavyweight: Chase Sherman vs Alexandr Romanov
Lightweight: Clay Guida (-115) vs Claudio Puelles (-105)
Featherweight: Lando Vannata (+110) vs Charles Jourdain (-130)
Flyweight: Maycee Barber (-190) vs Montana De La Rosa (+160)
Flyweight: Sumudaerji (+150) vs Manel Kape (-170)
Prelims
Welterweight: Louis Cosce (-170) vs Preston Parsons (+150)
Catchweight: Jordan Wright (+135) vs Marc-Andre Barriault (-155)
Welterweight: Dwight Grant (-115) vs Sergey Khandozhko (-145)
Light Heavyweight: Tyson Pedro (-575) vs Issac Villanueva (+410)
Bantamweight: Aoriqileng (-225) vs Cameron Else (+185)
Light Heavyweight: Marcin Prachnio (-125) vs Philipe Lins (+105)
Welterweight: Dean Barry (-1125) vs Mike Jackson (+700)
