If you thought the MMA schedule for Saturday was finished after the afternoon slate wrapped, you’re wrong. Seven hours of competitive violence in the daytime is just the beginning of a marathon day. MMA’s top promotion returns to live action in the evening.
A week removed from a return visit to Denver, the UFC stays on the West Coast and goes back home to Las Vegas for another Fight Night at the UFC Apex. Live coverage of UFC Vegas 94 begins at 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT on ESPN2 and ESPN+ with the prelims.
Main card action immediately follows at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on ESPN proper and ESPN+. All told, absent of any postponements or cancellations between now and Saturday, the final version of UFC Vegas 94 features a full 12-fight card.
Strawweights Take Spotlight in UFC Vegas 94 Main Event
Highlighting the night’s activities is a top-5 contest at strawweight in the UFC Vegas 94 main event. No. 3 contender Amanda Lemos (14-3-1 MMA, 8-3 UFC) meets No. 5 contender Virna Jandiroba (20-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC).
As with all UFC main events, the UFC Vegas 94 headliner is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
Tied for the second most finishes in strawweight history 👀
🇧🇷 Amanda Lemos looks to add to the record books in the #UFCVegas94 main event! pic.twitter.com/iH01rmpVsL
— UFC (@ufc) July 17, 2024
UFC Vegas 94 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the UFC Vegas 94 main event on Saturday night, Amanda Lemos stands as the taller contestant at 5-foot-4, compared to the 5-foot-3 frame of Virna Jandiroba. The former owns a one-inch reach advantage (65 inches to 64 inches) over the latter, with Jandiroba owning a one-inch leg reach advantage (37 inches to 36 inches) over Lemos.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Virna Jandiroba installed as a -140 favorite on the money line, with Amanda Lemos countering as a +115 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening in MMA this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Lemos Hungry for Second Straight Win Saturday Night
Amanda Lemos enters the UFC Vegas 94 main event this weekend having posted a record of 3-2 in her last five fights. Back in February, she returned to the win column via unanimous decision over Mackenzie Dern (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) in UFC 298.
Recently, the No. 3 contender at 115 lbs. was interviewed by USA Today’s MMA Junkie, mentioning that the placement of the fight is immaterial to her.
“I approach every fight the same,” Lemos began, through her translator. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the first, second fight on the card, if it’s a co-main or a main event. I approach all of them the same. They’re all important to me. This is my life. This has been my life. It doesn’t matter what the status of the fight [is] to me, I approach it with the same training level, always looking for the win.”
Lemos is a fighter who’s firmly in the title conversation at strawweight going into Saturday night, but can she ensure that she receives a rematch against Zhang Weili for the UFC Strawweight Championship? Only time will tell.
Virna Jandiroba Wants to Stop Amanda Lemos
In the other corner, Virna Jandiroba has gone 4-1 in her last five MMA fights. At present, she’s on a three-fight winning streak.
On March 30, she scored a unanimous decision victory over Lupita Godinez (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in UFC Atlantic City. Like Lemos, Jandiroba gave a translated interview to MMA Junkie this week. She’s focused on getting the win over Lemos inside the distance.
“In the UFC, we know that a finish is always better than a decision– they [the fans] like that,” Jandiroba began. “So, I know that if I’m able to get a finish over Amanda Lemos going to be much, much closer to a title fight than if I win by decision. Although, she’s a very tough opponent. I think a win is a win, over her, especially, but a finish for sure would push me forward a lot more.”
Sometimes in MMA, a fighter just getting their hand raised at the end of a contest isn’t always enough to receive a higher ranking. While Jandiroba enters this weekend at No. 5 in the strawweight division, a fourth straight victory alone might not result in her being one bout away from a title shot.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the UFC Vegas 94 main event looks to favor Virna Jandiroba, who owns a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a green and white Prajied in Muay-Thai, compared to Amanda Lemos’ status as a jiu-jitsu fighter and former judoka.
Lemos Can Punch Her Way to Victory
Statistically speaking, Amanda Lemos has scored eight of her 14 career victories by way of knockout. When Lemos stops her opponent, like she did in November of 2022 versus Marina Rodriguez at the very same UFC Apex where UFC Vegas 94 took place, it can be a sight to behold.
During the third round of a scheduled fight, as this was the evening’s headlining bout, Lemos began by landing a right hand before scoring again with a jab. From there, she went back to the right, wobbling Rodriguez in the process.
Smelling blood in the water, she moved in on her adversary and just peppered her with shots before referee Mario Yamasaki waved off the contest. If she can land the right-handed punch, the next name on Amanda Lemos’ dance card just might be Zhang Weili.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zCYFFktn50
Jandiroba Can End a Fight Quickly
In the other corner, don’t look away from the screen when Virna Jandiroba enters the cage for the UFC Vegas 94 main event. You just might end up missing the entirety of the fight.
Round one of her fight against Felice Herrig saw Jandiroba rapidly land a takedown before softening Herrig up with ground and pound shots. At that point, she trapped her adversary’s arm up against the cage fence, landing more ground and pound ahead of applying the torque to lock in an armbar in one minute and 44 seconds.
All it takes is one takedown from Virna Jandiroba to secure the momentum of the UFC Vegas 94 main event.
Final Thoughts
This has the potential to be one of the best fights of the entire day on Saturday. Expect high drama in the UFC Vegas 94 main event.
Prediction: Amanda Lemos by Third-Round TKO.
