Amanda Lemos is amid a strong winning streak in the strawweight division. However, she has yet to fight in a main event or face a former champion. She will do both of those things for the first time on Saturday night when facing Jessica Andrade in the headlining bout of a UFC “Fight Night” card.
Here’s a preview of all the action set to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on Saturday.
Click here to skip to a preview of the main card.
Preliminary Card (6:00PM EDT / 3:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / TSN 2)
Bout 1: Dean Barry (4-1) vs. Mike Jackson (0-1) (Welterweight)
In an odd matchup, Mike Jackson will return to face UFC newcomer Dean Barry in the first fight on the card.
Jackson has fought twice for the UFC in the past. In his pro debut, he was submitted in just 45 seconds by Mickey Gall in 2016. Two years later, he notoriously returned to beat pro wrestler CM Punk via unanimous decision. That fight was later overturned to a no-contest due to a drug test, making Jackson’s record a negative zero wins and one loss.
Barry has put together four wins and one loss as a pro since 2017. His last win was a 21-second victory against Drew Lipton on a Titan FC card.
Bout 2: Marcin Prachnio (15-5) vs. Philipe Lins (14-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Returning for his first fight in nearly two years, Philipe Lins will face Marcin Prachnio at light heavyweight.
Lins is most notably PFL’s 2018 Heavyweight Champion. He struggled in his first two UFC bouts, losing to Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser. Following those two losses, Lins moved down to light heavyweight for this weekend’s bout.
Prachnio started his UFC career with three consecutive losses but has since turned it around. He scored his second consecutive win in June 2021, stopping Ike Villanueva with strikes.
Bout 3: Preston Parsons (9-3) vs. Evan Elder (7-0) (Welterweight)
Undefeated welterweight Evan Elder will make his UFC debut on short notice this weekend when he faces Preston Parsons.
Elder is stepping in to replace Louis Cosce, who was originally scheduled to face Parsons. Elder has quickly attained seven wins as a pro since debuting in 2018. His last win was in late 2021, stopping Marcus Andrusia on a FAC card.
Parsons lost his UFC debut last year, getting stopped in the first round by Daniel Rodriguez.
Bout 4: Aoriqileng (20-11) vs. Cameron Else (10-5) (Bantamweight)
Both fighting for their first UFC win, Aoriqileng and Cameron Else will compete on Saturday’s prelims.
Aoriqileng took two losses last year, losing decisions to Jeff Molina and Cody Durden.
Else’s sole UFC fight thus far was a stoppage loss to Kyler Phillips in 2020. Before then, he had a solid six-fight winning streak on the regional scene.
Bout 5: Tyson Pedro (7-3) vs. Ike Villanueva (18-13) (Light Heavyweight)
Appearing for the first time in over three years, Tyson Pedro will face Ike Villanueva during the prelims.
Pedro has a UFC record of three wins and three losses but hasn’t fought since late 2018. He will fight to snap a two-fight skid in his return, as his two more recent appearances were finish losses.
Villanueva is also on a two-fight losing streak but from much more recent appearances. He was stopped twice last year, losing to Marcin Prachnio and Nick Negumereanu.
Bout 6: Dwight Grant (11-4) vs. Sergey Khandozhko (27-6-1) (Welterweight)
In another return, Sergey Khandozhko will face Dwight Grant in the next matchup.
Khandozhko last fought in November 2019. He took his first UFC loss in that appearance, dropping a decision to Rustam Khabilov. Now after numerous years outside of the cage, he will try to bounce back from that defeat Saturday.
Grant fought twice in 2021. He started the year with a split decision victory against Stefan Sekulic but later lost a bout to veteran Francisco Trinaldo.
Bout 7: Jordan Wright (12-2) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (13-5) (Catchweight 190 lbs)
The prelims are scheduled to come to a close with a fight between Jordan Wright and Marc-Andre Barriault. While both fighters usually compete at middleweight, a catchweight of 190-pounds will be the limit for their bout this weekend.
Wright has earned two wins and two losses since joining the UFC, with all fights ending via finish. His last bout was in late 2021, when Bruno Silva stopped him in the second minute with strikes.
Barriault had a two-fight winning streak broken in his last fight, as Chidi Njokuani beat him in just 16 seconds.
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 6:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / TSN 2)
Bout 8: Charles Jourdain (12-4-1) vs. Lando Vannata (12-5-2) (Featherweight)
Featherweights Charles Jourdain and Lando Vannata are scheduled to kick off Saturday’s main card.
Jourdain and Vannata are similar on paper. They have both flipped between winning and losing in recent years, and are both coming off a win in this instance.
Jourdain wrapped up his 2021 with a win, dominating Andre Ewell for a decision victory on the promotion’s last card of the year.
Vannata’s last performance was in May 2021, when he snuck by Mike Grundy with a split decision win.
Bout 9: Alexandr Romanov (15-0) vs. Chase Sherman (15-9) (Heavyweight)
Undefeated heavyweight Alexandr Romanov will return on Saturday against short-notice opponent Chase Sherman.
Romanov was previously booked to face Tanner Boser for this weekend. Sherman stepped in on a week’s notice, putting him back on the UFC roster after briefly being cut from the promotion earlier this year.
Sherman will be fighting to break a three-bout skid that he took over the past year. His most recent fight was a first-round submission loss to Jake Collier in January.
Romanov has scored four wins since joining the UFC roster in 2020. His last win was a finish victory over Jared Vanderaa in October 2021.
Bout 10: Maycee Barber (9-2) vs. Montana De La Rosa (12-6-1) (Flyweight)
Flyweights Maycee Barber and Montana De La Rosa will meet on Saturday’s main card.
Barber snapped the first-ever losing streak of her career last year, defeating Miranda Maverick via split decision. Before then, she had lost two consecutive bouts.
De La Rosa also returned to the win column in her last bout, stopping Ariane Lipski last year. She had previously taken a loss and a draw in previous fights.
Bout 11: Clay Guida (37-21) vs. Claudio Puelles (11-2) (Lightweight)
Veteran Clay Guida will return in Saturday’s co-main event against Claudio Puelles.
Guida, a UFC fighter of more than a decade, is coming off a rear naked choke submission win that he earned against Leonardo Santos in December 2021. A win on Saturday would give Guida a two-fight winning streak for the first time since 2017.
Puelles has quietly put together a strong run in the lightweight division. He has won four consecutive fights since 2018, including two from last year. He scored a rare kneebar submission in his last fight, defeating Chris Gruetzemacher late last year.
Bout 12: Amanda Lemos (11-1-1) vs. Jessica Andrade (22-9) (Strawweight)
Amanda Lemos will get the biggest test yet of her strawweight UFC run when facing former champ Jessica Andrade on Saturday night.
Saturday will be the first time that Lemos competes in a five-round UFC main event. She has gotten to this point by attaining five wins from 2019 to 2021, including three victories via stoppage.
Lemos’ last fight was an airtight split decision win against veteran Angela Hill. A win on Saturday would mark the first time that Lemos defeats a UFC champion.
Andrade is making her return to strawweight on Saturday night. After dropping her strawweight belt in 2019, she briefly moved up to flyweight for a three-bout run.
Andrade earned a flyweight title fight last year, getting stopped in the second round of a fight against Valentina Shevchenko. She is returning to her previous weight class after scoring a first-round finish win over Cynthia Calvillo in September 2021.
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