Although she nearly walked away from the sport before her UFC debut, Amanda Lemos is going strong and rapidly climbing the strawweight rankings.
On the heels of back-to-back first-round stoppages, Lemos will look to close out her 2021 campaign with her third win of the year when she faces Angela Hill on the main card at UFC Fight Night 199.
However, if it wasn’t for a short notice call and support from family and friends, she may not have been in this position today.
“Before getting to the UFC, I was like, I didn’t want to fight anymore,” Lemos told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “I almost quit the sport. Then on 20 days’ notice, they called me to do a fight in the UFC, so I was like, ‘Okay, let’s go.’ Then I started believing in myself and here I am right now.
Lemos had over a year between fights before receiving a call from the UFC to make her debut. During that time, she admits there were doubts about continuing her career.
“My family, my friends, my coaches – who are more than my coaches, they are also my friends, they never let me give up,” Lemos said. “They were like, ‘You have to keep going,’ and that’s why I’m here today.”
After dropping her UFC debut to Leslie Smith in 2017, Lemos did not compete for over two years. However, when she returned to action in December 2019, she did so with a vengeance, as she picked up a first-round submission finish of Miranda Granger. Lemos has continued to rip through her competition with two more first-round finishes over her current four-fight win streak.
Lemos hopes to keep her streak alive and get closer to a title shot with a win over Hill on Saturday, preferably by stoppage.
Watch the full media day interview with Lemos in the video above.