Athletes
Iasmin Lucindo Letting It Flow
Youngest Woman On UFC Roster Looks To Crack The Stawweight Top 5 Saturday At UFC 313
At every turn, Iasmin Lucindo says all the right things.
With a wisdom that belies her age, the Brazilian follows up each victory with soundbites any coach or any promoter loves to hear: she’s in no hurry. She’ll fight whoever she’s asked to fight. She’s still young in this game.
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“I’ve always said a ranking is just a number,” she told UFC.com after her most recent victory at UFC 307. “I just want to be able to do my job, do what I love to do, which is fight. "I'm not in a hurry…God places the opportunities in my path. I accept them and prepare myself. I’m very grateful to be able to do this. I think I’m reaping what I sow.”
More than two-and-a-half years into her tenure, Lucindo, at age 23, remains one of the five youngest fighters on the roster—and the youngest woman. But of all those young names, she’s the only one knocking on the door of her division’s top five. Maybe that’s “just a number” to her but if she can outlast Amanda Lemos Saturday night at UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev, she will have successfully set the table for a long potential run amongst the strawweight elite. A “Lucindo Era,” if you will.
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“It’s happening,” she smiles. “I’m very happy. This is the result of hard work; my team and I worked hard.”
Over the course of her current win streak, she’s submitted a submission specialist (Polyana Viana), defeated a former title challenger (Karolina Kowalkiewicz) and defeated one of the division’s top mainstays (Marina Rodriguez). Each bout of her UFC run has featured a massive step up in talent, but perhaps none more notable than this Saturday’s.
It’s not hyperbole to say this is the biggest and most dangerous fight of her career. Former title challenger Lemos packs an explosive punching power unique among the 115-lb ranks and has demonstrated the ability to finish the fight wherever it might go, be it the ground or the feet. She gamely lasted a full 25 minutes with the division’s champion Zhang Weili, and has turned back perennial contenders like Marina Rodriguez, Mackeznzie Dern and Michelle Waterson-Gomez. “Amandinha” is forever a formidable foe, and Lucindo is fully aware.
“Lemos is tough,” she says plainly. “She throws isolated strikes, but she strikes to knock you out. I have to be careful with this strategy of hers.”
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Mentally, Lucindo has been preparing for this bout almost since the conclusion of her bout with Rodriguez.
“After my last fight, we started looking at the rankings to see who would be my next opponent, and Lemos was one of them. Because I'm coming from four straight wins, I knew they wouldn’t give me an inferior opponent. I’m very happy…our games are very similar. I adapt to my opponents. So I think it's a good match. We planned a game to fight her.”
It might be tempting to frame this bout as innocence vs experience, but that misses the mark. Yes, Lemos is 14 years her senior, but Lucindo took her first professional fight at the exceedingly tender age of 15, and her 17-5 record features three more bouts than Lemos’ 14-4-1. She’s might be new to the UFC, but not new to the game.
“It's a very common question,” she laughs at the mention of her age. “People say: ‘You’re already fighting at UFC?' or they say, ‘Did you come out of your mother’s womb fighting?’ But I like it, too. This doesn't make me any better or worse than anyone else. The difference is that I started early.”
The assignments only get bigger from here, the lights only get brighter. But when asked about what could be an incoming Lucindo Era, she once again doesn’t deviate from saying all the right things.
“I'm letting it flow. I’m not thinking about it. I’m not making plans. I'm sure I'm gonna win. After that, we see how it goes.”
UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!