Amanda Lemos wants a ranked opponent following her TKO of Livia Souza at UFC 259.
Heavy-handed strawweight Amanda Lemos would like a ranked opponent after her first-round TKO win at UFC 259. Shortly after making quick work of Livia Souza in the preliminary section of the card, the Brazilian already knew who she wanted to fight next: former Invicta FC champion Michelle Waterson.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Amanda said she believes it is time for her to face a ranked opponent and the ‘Karate Hottie’ could be a good fit for her style. In fact, Lemos even feels like she could have an advantage in the striking department, because the Brazilian does not think Waterson packs as much power as herself.
“I showed that I deserve to be in the top 15,” Lemos said. “I definitely want a top 10 opponent (for my next fight). I like challenges, I like to be challenged.
“Michelle Waterson is a good fight,” she continued. “I think it would be great because she’s very agile, she moves a lot, but she’s not as powerful as me. I feel strong, I feel really good in this weight class. I’m going to be trouble for them in this division.”
The win over Souza put Amanda Lemos (9-1-1) on a three-fight winning streak, with victories over Mizuki Inoue and Miranda Granger before that, August 2020 and December 2019, respectively. The 33-year-old’s last and sole loss happened in July 2017, in her Octagon debut, when she got TKO’d by Leslie Smith.