That’s accurate. Perhaps it was the relative infrequency of her fighting schedule (her bout with Conejo was only her fifth since joining the promotion in 2017) that allowed her to fly under the radar for so long. But as she enters her third fight of 2021 with first-round finishes in three of her four UFC wins, the heads are finally, rightfully, beginning to turn.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Daukaus
Sitting at No. 11 in the strawweight division, Lemos had originally been slated to take on No. 6 Nina Nunes this Saturday. When Nunes was forced to withdraw, Lemos was then paired with Angela Hill for the main card tilt on UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Daukaus. Whether it was Nunes or Hill, both opponents represent the same thing: a step up in the echelon of competition for the supremely skilled “Amandinha.”
“It doesn’t change much,” she says of the opponent change. “The strategy is the same. I’m more focused on myself. I’m there to get the win.
“Angela is very good. She comes from kickboxing, but I think I’m going to be able to impose my strategy, my game. I’m pretty sure that once she feels my hands, she’s going to go down. Pay attention, because Saturday I’m going to have another knockout,” she says cooly. It’s a bold prediction, but not an inaccurate one. Seven of her 10 professional wins have come via her fists.