A highly anticipated women’s strawweight match-up has been pushed back, though only by a few weeks.
Marina Rodriguez (16-1-2) had been expected to face Amanda Lemos (12-2-1) at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on October 22, 2022. Instead, the pair will face off on November 5, at a Fight Night event that does not have a location officially announced.
Rodriguez let word of the October date being scuttled slip in a recent interview with MMA Mania. MMA Fighting was first to report the new date.
Promotion officials have yet to comment on the move, and no reason has been reported.
Rodriguez is currently ranked #3 in the women’s 115lb division, per the UFC’s official rankings. Lemos sits at #8. On a four-fight win streak, the Brazilian’s only loss to date came against current strawweight champ Carla Esparza.
While many had figured Rodriguez a lock for a title shot by now, it appears she’ll have a little more work to do. Currently, Esparza is expected to defend her title against Weili Zhang in November.
Lemos has posted a 6-1 record since arriving at strawweight in 2019, having previously competed as a bantamweight. Her lone loss came against former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Most recently, Lemos submitted Michelle Waterson via guillotine at UFC on ABC 3.
The UFC’s November 5, 2022 Fight Night event currently features the following reported bouts:
- Benito Lopez vs. Mario Bautista
- Nate Maness vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
- Ramona Pascual vs. Tamires Vidal
- Johnny Muñoz Jr. vs. Liudvik Sholinian
- Polyana Viana vs. Jinh Yu Frey
- Miranda Maverick vs. Shanna Young
- Jake Hadley vs. Carlos Candelario
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Lemos
