UFC 280: Amanda Lemos vs. Marina Rodriguez showdown

One of the year’s biggest UFC shows is getting even larger.

The newest addition for Oct. 22 at UFC 280 is a vital strawweight contest between top contenders Marina Rodriguez and Amanda Lemos. The fight features the division’s No. 3 and No. 8 contenders against one other and is the sixth bout scheduled for the October 22 event at Etihad Arena.

Rodriguez (16-1-2) is the world’s No. 5 strawweight. The 35-year-old contender has only lost one of her nine UFC fights and comes into the contest riding a four-fight victory run against well-known names Yan Xiaonan, Mackenzie Dern, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, and Amanda Ribas. With another victory, Rodriguez might surge into title contention. Across the cage, Lemos (12-2-1) returns to action only days after submitting Waterson-Gomez in the second round at UFC Long Island. Lemos, the No. 11 rated strawweight in the MMA Fighting rankings, has won six of her last seven UFC fights.

The 35-year-old Brazilian has only lost once in her professional career, a close split decision loss to current strawweight champion Carla Esparza in 2020. Rodriguez has a professional record of 16-1-2.

Lemos has also been on a roll, having won six of her last seven UFC fights. The Brazilian, also 35, is coming off a submission win over Michelle Waterson at UFC Long Island. Lemos’ loss against former champion Jessica Andrade in April marked her first defeat since 2017. Her overall record is 12-2.

With the addition, the UFC 280 lineup includes:

• Champion Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – for lightweight title
• Champion Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw – for bantamweight title
• Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan
• Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot
• Sean Brady vs. Belal Muhammad
• Amanda Lemos vs. Marina Rodriguez