The UFC is back in Vegas for Amanda Lemos vs Jessica Andrade. This card will be at the UFC Apex. Jessica Andrade has been bouncing back and forth between the FlyWeight and StrawWeight divisions over the past five fights. She is arguably the number one contender in both weight classes. Amanda Lemos has been fantastic since joining the UFC with her only loss coming in a fight at Bantamweight, which is two weight classes above her normal fighting weight. With a win, Amanda Lemos can put herself into the top five next week.
The Skillset of Amanda Lemos
Amanda Lemos entered the UFC in 2017. Her sophomore outing in late 2019 is when she started building momentum in the StrawWeight division. Lemos is a boxer and muay thai fighter. She is aggressive and throws powerful strikes. She switches stances at striking range. She likes to counterpunch when given the opportunity. When she needs to lead the striking exchanges she opts to throw a straight jab and step off the centerline or will lead with a right front kick which is how she dropped Angela Hill in round one of their fight. She is a headhunter with all her strikes. Lemos will throw elbows and knees in the clinch when the fight gets there. She prefers to strike at distance where she can unload her violent strikes.
The Skillset of Jessica Andrade
Jessica Andrade is a perennial contender in both the StrawWeight and FlyWeight Divisions. Her biggest threat at StrawWeight is the weight cut to 115 pounds. She’s a muscular girl with finishing power. Andrade is very good in the striking exchanges and is also excellent with her grappling game. When Andrade settles into the striking exchanges she will work the body with power hooks that make her opponents drop their hands which in turn leaves the knockout punches open to the head. Andrade also has a power wrestling game which she used to lift Rose Namajunas off her feet and slammed her on her head to win her the StrawWeight title in 2019.
The Stats
- Amanda Lemos has a 3 inch height advantage and a 3 inch reach advantage
- Jessica Andrade averages 6.24 strikes landed per minute, Amanda Lemos averages 5.35 strikes landed per minute
- Jessica Andrade averages 2.9 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 55% accuracy
- Amanda Lemos has an 87% takedown defense
Picking a Winner
My pick to win the Main Event:
- Jessica Andrade
My preferred bet for the Main Event:
- Prop: Jessica Andrade by KO/TKO (+175)
Jessica Andrade is back down to the StrawWeight division where she holds a huge power advantage over every other fighter she will be matched up with during this title run. Lemos is best on the feet where she can use her striking to hurt her opponents and look to finish her opponents. Andrade is a powerful striker in her own right but the easiest path to victory for Jessica Andrade is to use the takedown to earn top control and beat up Amanda Lemos from top position. This is a big step up in competition for Amanda Lemos. She went to a split decision in her last fight vs Angela Hill. Angela Hill was able to earn over four minutes of top control in the fight which included at least a minute of top control in each round. Angela Hill used the clinch to her advantage which Jessica Andrade can do to earn takedowns and impose her strength on Lemos. Andrade is a good straight play at -170 or parlay piece. My favorite play in for Andrade to win via KO/TKO within the first three rounds.
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