LAS VEGAS – Marina Rodriguez admits the matchmaking for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 214 main event with Amanda Lemos “doesn’t make a lot of sense” based on the rankings, but she’s confident in what a win will do for her career.
With just one loss in her past eight fights, Rodriguez (17-1-2 MMA, 6-1-2 UFC) was hoping for a strawweight title shot, or at least a booking with a former champion like Rose Namajunas. She got neither, though, and meets surging fellow Brazilian contender Lemos (12-2-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the headlining act at the UFC Apex, which streams on ESPN+.
The bout takes place just one week prior to the next 115-pound title fight between Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili at UFC 281 in New York, and everything seems perfectly in line for the winners to clash. Rodriguez agrees, so while the opponent wasn’t what she wanted, the stakes don’t get much higher.
