ELMONT, N.Y. – Amanda Lemos rebounded from a main event loss in a big way on Saturday when she defeated perennial contender Michelle Waterson at UFC on ABC 3.
Lemos (12-2-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) showed her defeat to Jessica Andrade earlier this year was just a mere bump in the road when she scored a second-round submission win over Waterson (18-10 MMA, 6-6 UFC) in a key strawweight division matchup at UBS Arena.
The Brazilian used her slick grappling to catch “The Karate Hottie” in a guillotine choke and forced the tap at the 1:48 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of the finish (via Twitter):
Lemos locked up a guillotine and Waterson tapped on her back at #UFCLongIsland pic.twitter.com/VwNAp5ODeu
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 16, 2022
Both women came out of the gate looking to find their range in the striking exchanges. Waterson had some troubles breaking through the range and defense of her bigger opponent, but managed to neutralize that challenge with a takedown inside the final 90 seconds, where she rode out the majority of the round from top position.
With the performance, Lemos proved she belongs in the upper tier at 115 pounds. After putting together a five-fight winning streak, she got the step up against former champ Andrade at UFC Fight Night 205 in April. It didn’t go her way, but Lemos picked up the pieces and rebounds with a notable win over Waterson.
In the second round, Waterson waited for her chance to sneak in another takedown attempt, but this time Lemos was ready. She quickly synched in the guillotine choke and fell to her back. Lemos was just about to roll over into mount when Waterson tapped, and she let go. There was a brief moment of confusion because the referee didn’t see the tap and stop the fight, but Waterson acknowledged her error and graciously accepted the defeat.
Bouncing back in a big way 💪 #UFCLongIsland pic.twitter.com/vDDVZybgzI
— UFC (@ufc) July 16, 2022
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 3 results include:
- Amanda Lemos def. Michelle Waterson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:48
- Li Jingliang def. Muslim Salikhov via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:38
- Matt Schnell def. Su Mudaerji via technical submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:24
- Shane Burgos def. Charles Jourdain via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
- Lauren Murphy def. Miesha Tate via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Punahele Soriano def. Dalcha Lungiambula via knockout (punches) – Round 2,
- Ricky Simon def. Jack Shore via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:28
- Bill Algeo def. Herbert Burns via TKO (retirement) – Round 2, 1:50
- Dustin Jacoby def. Da-un Jung via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:13
- Dustin Stoltzfus def. Dwight Grant via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Emily Ducote def. Jessica Penne via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
