Virna Jandiroba may have proven herself worthy of the next shot at UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili thanks to a submission win over former title challenger Amanda Lemos in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event.
Jandiroba looked to utilize her grappling from the get-go, scoring an early takedown and battling with her fellow Brazilian for top position and submission attempts. “Carcara,” a grappling expert, managed to lock in an armbar and submit Lemos during round two.
“The fight went in the best scenario I could imagine,” Jandiroba said through a translator at the post-fight press conference. “I was for sure going to try to take it to the ground, and I was able to do it and find the submission.”
Virna Jandiroba Confident She Can Get Title Shot, Beat Zhang Weili After UFC Fight Night Main Event Win
Jandiroba, a former Invicta strawweight champion, has now won four straight and five of her last six fights. Entering this weekend’s UFC Fight Night at No. 5 in the strawweight rankings, there is a good chance she could be next in line for a title shot.
Jandiroba, in fact, called out Zhang in the Octagon following her victory. And at the post-fight conference, Jandiroba expressed how her unique fighting style can help lead her to a win — let alone a title fight — that plenty previously doubted could happen.
“My style’s a little different,” Jandiroba said. “The way that I grapple is a little strange. I know my wrestling is very effective, my jiu-jitsu is very good, but it’s not like you can say, ‘Oh, she’s like a proper wrestler.’ But I make it work.
“And within the weirdness of everything that I do, I think that I create problems for most people, and that’s how I can beat her. With the weirdness, that’s how I get my arm raised.”
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