Title Shot Up for Grabs
Amanda Lemos or Marina Rodriguez are likely to earn a UFC strawweight title shot against Carla Esparza, so there’s everything to fight for on Saturday.
Rodriguez is the -210 favorite with UFC betting markets after posting a 16-1-2 record. Lemos is 12-2-1, so she’s a worthy contender with the ability to post an upset.
Be sure to stay tuned as we’ll be covering the most important UFC fight card and we’ll also be sharing our UFC predictions for the upcoming tournaments.
Rodriguez Rapidly Rising
Rodriguez showed her skills when beating Mackenzie Dern last year and she followed it with a professional outing against Xiaonan Yan at UFC 272.
She hasn’t been finishing her opponents and she doesn’t land with much efficiency, but she threw 207 punches against Yan and that output has to be commended.
The 35-year-old doesn’t have much of a ground game either, but she uses her boxing skills to her advantage and she often uses that to win, which is why the sportsbook has her as the clear favorite.
Lemos brings more power and submission skill, but Rodriguez wins rounds with her high output. She’s also riding a four-fight win streak and she has enough confidence to get the job done.
“I believe that I have evolved in everything,” Rodriguez told UFC.com. “Both on the ground and striking, I’ve evolved a lot and today I feel very confident as an athlete. Being in the top three, I feel ready for great challenges.”
Lemos Showing Range
Lemos lost her UFC debut in 2017 to Leslie Smith, but she hasn’t been defeated since and she’s on an impressive tear through the strawweight division.
She submitted Michelle Waterson in July and that followed a knockout win over Montserrat Ruiz. However, facing Rodriguez is a level up and she needs to improve slightly to earn her title shot.
The +165 betting online underdog isn’t being given much respect by bookmakers, but she is dynamic at her best. We believe she has more finishing power than Rodriguez, but that doesn’t always win fights.
She needs to avoid getting hit by Rodriguez. The punches won’t do damage, but they’ll win Rodriguez the fight in the eyes of the judges.
Lemos vs Rodriguez Head-to-Head
It’s the first It’s the first UFC fight night meeting between Lemos and Rodriguez. meeting between Lemos and Rodriguez.
Lemos vs Rodriguez Fight Information
- Fight: Lemos vs Rodriguez
- Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas NV
- Day/Time: Saturday, Nov. 5, 5 p.m. ET
- Lemos vs Rodriguez Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass
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Lemos vs Rodriguez Betting Lines
Lemos vs Rodriguez Prediction
We don’t think there will be much between them and it should go to the judges’ scorecards, which is why we’re taking Rodriguez to win.
She is a frequent puncher and that’s all she needs to earn the victory. We expect Lemos to come out hunting the knockout or submission, but Rodriguez is clever and she will stay out of range before attacking.
The -210 is worth taking in the main event.
