Amanda Lemos

Amanda Lemos (born May 22, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of January 23, 2024, she is #3 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings and #12 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Early career
Lemos started her professional mixed martial arts career in her native Brazilian regional circuit, fighting mostly in Jungle Fight. Racking up an undefeated record of 5–0, she faced Mayra Cantuária for the Jungle Fight Women's Bantamweight Championship at Jungle Fight 85 on January 23, 2016. The fight ended in a majority draw, which prompted a rematch between the two contenders. The rematch for the title took place on June 25, 2016, at Jungle Fight 88. Lemos won the title via third-round knockout.

Lemos was scheduled to face Arlene Blencowe at Legend MMA 1 on January 28, 2017. However, Lemos withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Janay Harding.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Replacing injured Lina Länsberg on short notice, Lemos made her promotional debut against Leslie Smith at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio on July 16, 2017. She lost the lopsided fight via second-round knockout.

On March 28, 2018, news surfaced that USADA had suspended Lemos for two years for testing positive for stanozolol and its metabolite, stemming from a sample taken on November 8, 2017.

Dropping to strawweight
Lemos was scheduled to return from the suspension against Veronica Macedo in a strawweight bout on December 21, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 165. However, Macedo withdrew from the bout due to concussion-like symptoms and was replaced by Miranda Granger. She won the fight via technical submission.

Lemos faced Mizuki Inoue at UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs. Edgar on August 22, 2020. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Lemos faced Lívia Renata Souza on March 6, 2021, at UFC 259. She won the fight via technical knockout in round one after knocking Souza down twice.

Lemos faced Montserrat Ruiz on July 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 26. Lemos won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Lemos was scheduled to face Nina Nunes on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus. However, Nunes was removed from the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Angela Hill. Lemos won the bout via split decision. 10 out of 11 media scores gave it to Hill. This bout earned them the Fight of the Night bonus award.

Lemos faced former strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade on April 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 205. She lost the fight via a standing arm-triangle choke in round one.

Lemos faced Michelle Waterson on July 16, 2022, at UFC on ABC 3. She won the fight via guillotine choke submission in the second round. This win earned Lemos her first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Lemos was scheduled to face Marina Rodriguez on October 22, 2022, at UFC 280, but the bout was postponed to UFC Fight Night 214 for unknown reasons. She won the fight via technical knockout in the third round.

Lemos faced Zhang Weili for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship on August 19, 2023, at UFC 292. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Lemos was scheduled to face Tatiana Suarez on February 17, 2024, at UFC 298. However, Suarez was withdrawn from the event because of an injury was replaced by Mackenzie Dern. Lemos won the bout by unanimous decision. This fight earned her another Fight of the Night award.

Lemos faced Virna Jandiroba on July 20, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 60. She lost the fight by an armbar submission in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Angela Hill and Mackenzie Dern
 * Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Michelle Waterson
 * Tied (Rose Namajunas) for second most finishes in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (5)
 * Most knockdowns landed in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (6)
 * Most knockdowns landed-per-15-minutes in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (0.91)
 * Second most knockouts in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (3)
 * Third highest significant strike accuracy in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (53.0%)
 * Jungle Fight
 * Jungle Fight Women's Bantamweight Champion (One time)
 * Two successful title defenses