Tag Archives: Michelle Waterson-Gomez

UFC Rising Star Luana Pinheiro In Talks to Fight Michelle Waterson-Gomez

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Luana Pinheiro is thisclose to locking in her next opponent…

The UFC is finalizing a strawweight battle between the 29-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist and Michelle Waterson-Gomez this spring, according to ESPN.

Luana PinheiroThe contest will take place on April 8 at an event that is expected to be UFC 287 on pay-per-view. The UFC has not announced an official date or location for that numbered event, but UFC president Dana White has said it will “probably” take place in Brooklyn, New York.

Pinheiro (10-1) is a rising contender with a 2-0 record in the UFC. Fighting out of Belo Horizonte in Brazil, Pinheiro earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020.

Waterson-Gomez (18-10) has been a mainstay in the top of the 115-pound division for years. The Albuquerque, New Mexico-based strawweight is 1-4 in her past five appearances, but she’s faced the top of her division during that time, including two former champions in Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Carla Esparza. She’s coming off a loss to Amanda Lemos in her most recent fight in July.

Waterson-Gomez and Pinheiro are ranked Nos. 11 and 13, respectively, in the UFC’s strawweight division.

The UFC has not announced a main event for the April 8 card.

Amanda Lemos Pulls Off Upset Win Over Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night

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Amanda Lemos has pulled off an upset…

The 35-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist finished Marina Rodriguez via TKO at 54 seconds of the third round on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.

Rodriguez was poised for a title shot if she won, but now Lemos has snatched her spot near the top of the rankings.

The finish came after a big counter overhand right by Lemos. The punch landed to Rodriguez’s forehead, as Rodriguez was coming in for a combination of her own. It stopped Rodriguez in her tracks and left her rocked. Lemos pressed forward with another big right hand and then flurried with right and left hooks until referee Jason Herzog stepped in to stop it.

“Her legs started wobbling a little bit,” Lemos said in her postfight interview. “I didn’t think twice. I’m going to finish the fight right there.”

ESPN had Rodriguez ranked No. 4 in the women’s strawweight division coming in, with Lemos at No. 9. The big stoppage victory should push Lemos closer to title contention.

She proposed the idea of being the backup fighter for the women’s strawweight title fight next week at UFC 281 between champion Carla Esparza and former champ Zhang Weili in New York.

Lemos (13-2-1) has won two straight and seven of her past eight fights. The Brazilian-born slugger has finished five of her seven UFC victories. That ties her with Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade for the most finishes in UFC strawweight history.

Lemos was coming off a second-round submission win over Michelle Waterson-Gomez in July. Her only loss at 115 pounds came against Andrade in April.

Rodriguez (16-2-2) had a four-fight winning streak snapped. The Brazilian-born fighter had only lost once before in her MMA career, to Esparza in July 2020.

Rodriguez, 35, was coming off signature wins against contenders Yan Xiaonan and Mackenzie Dern.