The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will make its way to the UFC Apex for the second time in as many weeks with a solid lineup that sees some talented prospects in action. In the UFC Fight Night 205 main event, Amanda Lemos looks to continue her impressive run in the women’s strawweight division and faces her toughest test to date when she takes on Jessica Andrade in the former champion’s return to 115 pounds. Beyond that, the attention shifts to the young guns, as Claudio Puelles, Maycee Barber and Su Mudaerji—the latter being the oldest at 26—all get big spots to further prove themselves in their respective divisions. Add in a potential showcase for heavyweight prospect Alexander Romanov, plus a guaranteed banger between Lando Vannata and Charles Jourdain, and this has the makings of an entertaining slate.
Women’s Strawweights
#10 WSW | Amanda Lemos (11-1-1, 5-1 UFC) vs. #1 WFLW | Jessica Andrade (22-9, 13-7 UFC)BETUS ODDS: Andrade (-190), Lemos (+155)
Andrade does not have a clear path to a title shot, but it is still a pleasure to watch her fight in any division. Andrade came to the UFC as a raw bantamweight prospect, combining obvious physical talent with inconsistent results, but her career did not truly pop until she cut down to strawweight. She somehow managed to carry all her physicality and power after cutting 20 additional pounds, and as a result, she became the most intimidating force in the division. Her lack of technical depth eventually cost her in a title shot against Joanna Jedrzejczyk—Andrade got little accomplished in trying to pressure the much longer and evasive champion—but “Bate Estaca” was quickly back to her violent and winning ways, earning another shot at strawweight gold with a quick and brutal knockout of Karolina Kowalkiewicz. This time, Rose Namajunas was the one defending the title, and the ensuing fight was the full Andrade experience. The Brazilian looked lost in the face of a blisteringly quick start from Namajunas, but she was able to suddenly turn things around through sheer force, using a clinch exchange to pick “Thug Rose” up and drop the champion directly on her head, scoring a knockout and earning the belt as a result. Somewhat surprisingly, that remains Andrade’s last win at strawweight. Weili Zhang had the power to meet Andrade head-on and knocked her out in just 42 seconds, and Namajunas was able to win a three-round rematch in their rematch. With no clear path towards title contention at 115 pounds, Andrade then went to her third division, becoming the top contender at flyweight almost immediately. She knocked out Katlyn Chookagian within a round and clearly made herself the best available option for Valentina Shevchenko. However, Shevchenko ran through her without much issue, and after a first-round knockout of Cynthia Calvillo in September, Andrade decided to move back down to the division where she has had her most success. The title picture has not shifted in a way that makes Andrade’s path back to championship glory any easier, but she is in a strong position to play spoiler for any rising new talents, which is where she finds herself against Lemos.
The first few years of Lemos’ UFC career were absolutely forgettable. Like Andrade, “Amandinha” first came to the UFC as a bantamweight, but her lone fight at 135 pounds saw her lose handily to Leslie Smith before failing a post-fight drug test, resulting in a two-year suspension. That made Lemos a complete afterthought until her December 2019 return, which surprisingly came down at strawweight. As with Andrade, it immediately became apparent that Lemos had carried all of her strength down two weight classes. She absolutely overwhelmed a solid opponent in Miranda Granger and scored a first-round submission almost entirely through sheer power. That was the story of Lemos’ next three fights. They were against some of the smaller and less imposing members of the division, but Lemos made every bit of her physical advantages count in dominant wins, including two first-round knockouts. That made her December victory over Angela Hill an impressive showing. Against by far her toughest opponent to date at 115 pounds, Lemos showed the ability to fight three tough rounds and stage a comeback, maintaining her power into the third frame and hanging on for the split decision. All in all, hers is a rise extremely similar to that of Andrade on the road to her first strawweight title shot, and despite being the older fighter of the two, Lemos is in a strong position to take the mantle as her division’s most intimidating powerhouse. It sounds like a bit of a flier, but the bet is that she can do so. She is the deeper technical fighter and looks to be one of the few opponents who can match Andrade’s strength and power—a situation where the former champion is usually the one who gets the worst of things and is at risk of being finished. Lemos’ tendency towards a slower pace is a worry, as is the possibility that Andrade proves to be in another class as a physical force. However, the bet is that Lemos can meet the challenge head-on and separate herself in a brutal sprint similar to the path that Zhang took. The pick is Lemos via first-round knockout.
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