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After last week's event in Denver, the UFC returns to the Apex arena this weekend. Some might say that the UFC Vegas 94 card has one of the promotion's weaker lineups of late, and others might say that this is a card with underrated potential. Last Saturday, out of 12 fights, four went to the judges' scorecards, one fight was declared No Contest, and six bouts ended by stoppage, three by TKO and three by submission. Let's hope that this week's card is at least as exciting as the UFC Denver card.
An all-Brazilian women’s strawweight battle between former title challenger Amanda Lemos and former Invicta FC champion Virna Jandiroba headlines UFC Vegas 94 on July 20 at UFC Apex. Fun fact, this is the second time in two weeks we get a card headlined by women. The co-main event will be between UFC veteran Brad Tavares and Jun Young Park. A lot of interesting matchups on this card. Let's break it down a bit.
In this article, I will be providing you with my fantasy MMA lineup picks for UFC Vegas 94: Lemos vs. Jandiroba on 07/20/24. Give me a follow on X @sumpor5. Good luck!
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DraftKings MMA Women's Strawweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Amanda Lemos, $7,000 - vs. Virna Jandiroba
A new women's strawweight title contender could be decided in the main event when former title challenger Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba face off. Lemos rebounded from her lopsided loss to the strawweight champion Weili Zhang with a unanimous decision victory over Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298. As for Jandiroba, she is coming off three straight wins and has been looking great as of late. She has gone 4-1 in her last five fights. On the other hand, Lemos has gone 3-2 in her last five fights.
Tied for the
second most finishes in strawweight historyAmanda Lemos looks to add to the record books in the #UFCVegas94
main event! pic.twitter.com/iH01rmpVsL—
UFC (@ufc) July
17, 2024
Since returning from a USADA suspension in 2019, Lemos has gone 8-2 with her only losses coming against current or former UFC champions. Along the way, she has beaten the likes of Dern, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, and Marina Rodriguez and has finished five of eight wins. She is known for her striking ability and it could be said that her weakness is her grappling, even though she was finished by a submission only once in her professional career.
This is, without a doubt, the best fighter Jandiroba has faced to this point. In comparison to Lemos who's a better striker, Jandiroba is known for her takedowns and submission game. While in the UFC, Jandiroba has completed just 36% of her takedown attempts. On paper, that doesn't look good but most of her wrestling success is based on chaining takedowns off failed attempts rather than setting up single shots. Virna's striking is sloppy and a longer kickboxing match is most likely not going to go in her favor, but Jandiroba's grappling has the potential to be a true difference-maker in this fight.
So, in conclusion, Lemos struggles to stop takedowns, while Jandiroba struggles with the striking. A classic matchup between a striker and a grappler. In the end, it's going to come down to whether Jandiroba can take Lemos down and keep her there. Lemos has faced tougher competition than Jandiroba and has proven to be durable enough, making me lean more toward Lemos. I think she gets it done. I don't see Jandiroba finishing Lemos. My prediction is that the underdog, Lemos, will find a way to knock Jandiroba out in the later rounds.
DraftKings MMA Middleweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Jun Yong Park, $9,000 - vs. Brad Tavares
An intriguing middleweight matchup between UFC veteran Brad Tavares and Jun Yong Park is scheduled for the co-main event of UFC Vegas 94. Tavares is coming off a third-round knockout loss in his last fight meanwhile, Park is coming off a razor-close split-decision defeat to Andre Muniz in his last fight. Tavares is in dire need of victory as he has lost three of his last four fights coming into this one. As for Park, his controversial split decision loss to Andre Muniz in his last fight snapped a four-fight winning streak.
Tavares has been in the UFC for fourteen years where he’s gone a very solid 15-9. That being said, lately, he hasn't been in the best form as is evident in his 1-3 record in his last four fights. The lone victory he earned in those four fights was against former middleweight champion, Chris Weidman. Tavares has fought middleweight legends such as Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Chris Weidman, and the current middleweight champion Drucus Du Plessis.
Tavares comes into this fight with an MMA record of 20-10 and he is 15-9 in the UFC. He is averaging 3.38 significant strikes per minute and has 43% striking accuracy. He has 81% takedown defense and has a takedown accuracy of 23%. Tavares is a solid boxer, a solid grappler has a great gas tank but he doesn't excel in any of these areas. Tavares may be fighting for his career at age 36 this weekend at UFC Vegas 94.
On the other hand, Park was on a roll winning four fights in a row until a razor-close split-decision loss to Muniz. Most MMA fans believe that Park should have won that fight. Park comes into this fight with an MMA record of 17-6 and is 7-3 in the UFC. He's a solid grappler as well with his takedown accuracy being 50%. He has a takedown defense of 57%. With all of this said, it's evident why Park has been established as the clear favorite.
Park is a fighter who throws a lot of volume on the feet making it hard for a fighter like Tavares who wants to sit back and counter. To win, Park will have to overwhelm Tavares with volume and I think that is exactly what Park is going to do. Park will be too much for Tavares to overcome at this stage of his career. I think he'll outstrike Tavares throughout this fight but I don't think that he'll be able to finish him. My prediction is that Park is going to win this fight via unanimous decision.
DraftKings MMA Women's Flyweight - UFC DFS Lineup Picks
Miranda Maverick, $9,200 - vs. Dione Barbosa
Miranda Maverick was supposed to face Tracy Cortez at Saturday's event but there were some changes of plans. In last week's main event, Maycee Barber was scheduled for a bout against Rose Namajunes but was forced to pull out because of an injury. Cortez stepped up to face Namajunas in the main event of UFC Denver. This left Maverick without a partner, but Dione Barbosa stepped in.
Her opponent, Barbosa, makes her second UFC appearance following a Contender Series contract win and a win in her debut over Ernesta Kareckaite. “The Witch” won her past four, including a first-round armbar finish over Rainn Guerrero. Barbosa failed to impose her style against an inexperienced opponent in her last fight and started to back up due to fatigue. This is a huge opportunity for Barbosa who has a lot to gain and not much to lose.
Maverick should be able to take Barbosa down and hold her there. She is bigger and I believe that she has the strength advantage over Barbosa. Her game is predicated on control and she’ll want to tie Barbosa up every chance she gets throughout this one. If she can avoid big shots from Barbosa, she should be able to control the outcome of this fight. My prediction is that Maverick, who is the favorite in the fight, is going to use her strength and grappling to earn herself another win via unanimous decision.
