- What: UFC Vegas 94 Main Event
- Who: Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Date: Saturday, July 20, 2024
- Location: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV
- Time: Prelims (5:00 p.m. ET), Main Card (8:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Prelims (ESPN, ESPN+), Main Card (ESPN, ESPN+)
The UFC returns to Las Vegas for Saturday’s UFC Vegas 94 fight card at the UFC Apex. In the main event, two fighters ranked inside the top five of the UFC strawweight division face off, as Amanda Lemos meets Virna Jandiroba. Lemos, a former UFC strawweight title challenger, is the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC strawweight rankings. Meanwhile, Jandiroba, a former Invicta FC 115-pound titleholder is the No. 5 ranked fighter in the division. Here is some background on Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba before we discuss the UFC Vegas 94 betting breakdown.
Amanda Lemos (14-3-1) dropped a decision to UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili in August 2023. The Brazilian bounced back from that setback with a February decision win over Mackenzie Dern.
Virna Jandiroba (20-3) also hails from Brazil. She is riding a three-fight winning streak. Her most recent win was a decision over Loopy Godinez in March.
Before we look at the best bets for the Lemos vs. Jandiroba matchup on the UFC Vegas 94 card, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find our betting picks for the main event of UFC 304, Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2.
UFC Vegas 94 main event: Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba betting picks
Fighters | |||
Amanda Lemos | +120 | +117 | +110 |
Virna Jandiroba | -140 | -138 | -140 |
Amanda Lemos betting breakdown
Amanda Lemos has the chance to play the spoiler again when she faces Virna Jandiroba in the UFC Vegas 94 co-main event. When Lemos met Marina Rodriguez in November 2022, Rodriguez was the No. 3 fighter in the rankings. She was a -230 favorite over Lemos, who came in as the +195 underdog. Lemos stunned her opponent, the UFC, and the fans by ending Rodriguez’s four-fight winning streak and becoming the first fighter to score a knockout victory over her. That win earned her a shot at the UFC champion Zhang Weili, who she could not upset. Lemos is the betting underdog to Jandiroba in this fight, and if she can manage another upset, she’ll, at the very least, keep her No. 3 ranking in the strawweight division.
Lemos is an excellent striker. She employs a lot of movement and uses feints to get her opponent to react. From there, Lemos gauges time, space, and tendencies. She then uses all that information to land her strikes with as much power as possible. Lemos is good on the ground as well, but she prefers to fight on the feet as she can sometimes lose position during scrambles on the mat.
No UFC strawweight has as many knockdowns (6) as Amanda Lemos. The Brazilian is also tied for second in the division in finishes (5) and is second in knockouts (3). Further, she is the No. 5 fighter in the weight class in significant strike landing percentage (53.0). Defensively, Lemos absorbs 4.21 significant strikes per minute with a defensive rate of 44 percent. Lemos averages 0.98 takedowns per 15 minutes with an accuracy of 63 percent. Her takedown defense is 57 percent.
Virna Jandiroba betting breakdown
Virna Jandiroba was the betting underdog in her past two fights. She scored unanimous decision victories in each of those contests. In her past three fights, all three-round decision wins, Jandiroba has picked up more than 25 minutes of control time while landing eight takedowns. Those stats should give one an indication as to Jandiroba’s fighting style.
Jandiroba is a grinder. She has serviceable striking, but her defense on her feet is lacking. Jandiroba does not employ a lot of movement, which makers her vulnerable to a striker like Lemos. However, Jandiroba’s goal is to use her striking to set up her takedowns and keep the fight on the mat where she does a good job of controlling the action while landing ground strikes. She also does an excellent job on negating her opponent’s striking by fighting in the clinch and controlling time and space.
Jandiroba lands 2.30 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 38 percent. Her striking defense is 57 percent and she absorbs 2.96 significant strikes per minute. Her takedown average is 2.36 per 15 minutes with a success rate of 36 percent. Jandiroba defends 73 percent of the takedown attempts she faces.
Best Bets: UFC Vegas 94 main event – Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba
When looking at the stylistic matchup of this fight there is some concern about Amanda Lemos. During her scrap against Zhang Weili, Lemos was taken down six times on seven attempts, and the champ racked up 16:07 of control time in that five-round scrap. Seeing how much Lemos struggled with wrestling in that fight, the betting pick is Virna Jandiroba to beat Amanda Lemos by decision in the main event of UFC Vegas 94.
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