Virna Jandiroba may have locked down her first UFC title shot earlier tonight (Sat., July 20, 2024) at UFC Vegas 94 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the Brazilian contender stunned Amanda Lemos with a gnarly second-round submission (armbar).
Lemos is one of the best strikers in the women’s strawweight division so it wasn’t a surprise to see Jandiroba utilize her strong grappling game in the early going. There were a few good scrambles for Lemos, but any time spent in close quarters gave Jandiroba a chance to finish the fight.
Jandiroba gained back control during a beautiful transition in the second round. She threatened with a rear-naked choke for close to a minute before letting go. As Jandiroba gave just a little room to Lemos she snatched up the arm and transitioned to an armbar. Lemos fought to defend it, but Jandiroba twisted it like a pretzel and forced the tap.
Check out the video highlights below:
VIRNA LOCKS UP THE ARMBAR AND GETS THE TAP #UFCVegas94 pic.twitter.com/dQTrACRs2r
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 21, 2024
VIRNA JANDIROBA LOCKED IN THE ARMBAR #UFCVegas94 pic.twitter.com/EKd1ygdOT4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 21, 2024
Virna Jandiroba calls for a title shot #UFCVegas94 pic.twitter.com/oYTQs27sy1
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 21, 2024
Jandiroba, 36, has now won her last four trips to the Octagon. That includes this spectacular submission finish in her first UFC event and key victories over contenders Marina Rodriguez and Loopy Godinez. Jandiroba is one of the only ranked fighters current women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili hasn’t fought so it may make sense to book that title fight by the end of the year.
For complete UFC Vegas 94 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.