Athletes
Amanda Lemos | Unfinished Business
After A Last-Minute Issue Saw Her Bout With Gillian Robertson Nixed, Brazilian Strawweight Contender Amanda Lemos Is Ready To Complete The Mission.
Fighting in the Octagon is no small matter. The fight itself is merely the culmination of weeks of training, preparation, dieting and weight management before finally stepping into the Octagon and throwing down with your opponent.
So, when Amanda Lemos was told moments before her walkout at UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape in December that her bout with Robertson would be canceled due to a medical issue, it was a crushing disappointment to all concerned.
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“Having a fight pulled out of the cart so close to the fight is very frustrating, because you do everything that's needed to be done. You make weight. Everything's ready to go. You're ready to fight. It’s obviously very frustrating,” Lemos said. “But then you just kind of take it in and go back into the gym on Monday, and I was training extra hard to be ready for a fight that is now happening Saturday.”
The benefit of getting the fight rebooked is that the fight prep from the first camp isn’t wasted work, and Lemos has used the extra time wisely to conduct further scouting work on Robertson, while continuing to sharpen her skills ahead of fight night this weekend.
“The additional time (was) time to study, to see what errors that she makes, that we can take advantage of, and just that's basically it,” she explained.“You have more time to prepare and to get better. And that's that makes me even more ready to come out with a win on Saturday.”
That additional time has also been valuable for Lemos to hone her takedown defense, in order to shut down submission ace Robertson’s biggest threat at source.
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“I prepared a lot for this fight, exactly for that – her game not to happen,” she said.“I prepared a lot for, you know, this fight not to be taken down to the ground and to be able to actually keep her on standing so I can knock her out.”
Victory would put Lemos back in the win column following her decision loss to Tatiana Suarez last September and continue her run of alternating wins and losses that stretches back to 2022.
But, with the strawweight division looking wide open, the 38-year-old knows that if she can string together a succession of victories in 2026, there’s a path that leads all the way to a title fight, and a possible rematch with reigning champion Mackenzie Dern, who Lemos defeated by unanimous decision at UFC 298.
“I’m very focused and very ready to get another win and advance in a division that, right now, it's pretty much in a scramble at the top there. But coming out with the win (this weekend) will be certainly a good step,” she said.“I beat Mackenzie the first time, and now she's the champion. And I think that that qualifies me to maybe do one (or) two more fights, and I think that puts me in a position to be fighting for a belt again.”
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 14, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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