Jandiroba touched down in the UFC with an unbeaten record and fresh off successfully defending the Invicta FC strawweight title with a second-round submission win over Janaisa Morandin. She dropped a decision to former champ Carla Esparza in her debut, and went 3-3 over her first six appearances, beating those stationed behind her in the rankings, and faltering against opponents ahead of her in the pecking order.
Saturday’s Full Fight Card Preview
Since then, the 36-year-old has strung together three straight victories to climb into the championship mix in the 115-pound weight class, with this weekend’s clash with compatriot Amanda Lemos serving as an opportunity for “Carcará” to introduce herself to a wider audience.
That’s a strange thing to say about a fighter entering off consecutive convincing decision wins over Angela Hill, Marina Rodriguez, and Loopy Godinez — a pair of Top 15 staples and a rising star in the division — but such is life for the ascending Brazilian. Whether it’s because of her earlier setbacks against Esparza, Mackenzie Dern, and Amanda Ribas, or simply fans and media being tethered to the more familiar athletes filling up the Top 10, Jandiroba’s name rarely comes up in discussions about burgeoning contenders in the division, but she’s is undeniably “in the mix.”