Michelle Waterson will make her return to the cage at UFC’s July 16th event, facing Amanda Lemos in a strawweight bout. News of the matchup was confirmed by Ariel Helwani earlier this week.
The fight is joining a card that doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.
The booking gives Lemos a chance to bounce back from a loss she suffered just last month. Her climb up the strawweight ranks was stopped in April, as former champion Jessica Andrade submitted her in the first round of a main event fight.
The loss for Lemos broke a five-fight winning streak that she attained from 2019 to 2021, including three victories via finish.
Waterson will be making her first appearance in over a year. Her last fight dates back to May 2021, when she dropped a unanimous decision to Marina Rodriguez after competing for five rounds in a UFC main event.
Waterson’s last win was a 2020 headlining appearance against Angela Hill.
Featherweights Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez are expected to headline UFC’s July 16th show. Here is how the card looks currently:
Bout 5: Brian Ortega (15-2) vs. Yair Rodriguez (13-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 4: Askar Askarov (14-1-1) vs. Alex Perez (24-6) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Punahele Soriano (8-2) vs. Dalcha Lungiambula (11-4) (Middleweight)
Bout 2: Herbert Burns (11-3) vs. Khusein Askhabov (23-0) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Michelle Waterson (18-9) vs. Amanda Lemos (11-2-1) (Strawweight)
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