Amanda Lemos and Jessica Andrade face off on Saturday in a women’s strawweight showdown for the main event of UFC Fight Night 207 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Amanda Lemos comes into this fight with an 11-1-1 record overall and she has won five fights in a row. Even though she has found a ton of success, this is a big step up in competition. Lemos last fight came against Angela Hill and it was a split decision, but a victory. Lemos outstruck Hill 50-48 in that fight. Lemos is averaging 5.35 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 4.67 significant strikes per minute. Lemos is averaging 1.31 takedowns every 15 minutes and he is successful on 57 percent of his takedown attempts. He also stops 87 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts. If Lemos wants a chance to get the job done in this fight she is going to have to deal with the pressure of Andrade. She is probably going to take some damage in this fight, and needs to be ready for the pressure.
On the other side of this matchup is Jessica Andrade who is a former champion and overall she has a 22-9 record. Andrade over her last four fights has gone 2-2 but she is coming off a win. Against Cynthia Cavillo, Andrade outstruck Cavillo 48-27 in the first round at the end she finished it by knockout. Andrade is averaging 6.24 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 5.21 significant strikes per minute. Andrade is averaging 2.90 takedowns every 15 minutes and she is successful on 55 percent of her attempts. Andrade is also stopping 66 percent of her opponents takedown attempts.
What Lemos has done as of late has been impressive, but there are many who believed that she actually lost her last fight against Hill, and it’s not going to get any easier in this fight. Look for Andrade to put the pressure on Lemos and that is going to be the difference as Andrade gets the job done with ease. Back Andrade to win by the finish.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
