Tag: Amanda Lemos

UFC 292 ‘Embedded,’ No. 6: What Aljamain Sterling told Sean O’Malley during final faceoff

In the final “Embedded” of UFC 292 fight week, Aljamain Sterling had A LOT to say to Sean O’Malley’s face at ceremonial weigh-ins.

The UFC is back with its 10th pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 292 takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) takes on challenger [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Sterling holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 135 pounds. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) meets challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the first test of her second reign as titleholder.

In addition, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman (15-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) returns from more than two years out after a severe broken leg in 2021. He takes on Brad Tavares (19-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in a featured bout on the prelims.

The sixth and final episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

The athletes make weight and the stage is set for two title fights in Boston: Aljamain Sterling looks to turn back Sean O’Malley’s quest for gold while Zhang Weili defends her belt against surging Brazilian Amanda Lemos.

Also see:

[listicle id=2669956]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292: Quick Picks and Prognostications

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom offers his thoughts and makes his picks for each UFC 292 main card fight.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for UFC 292.

UFC 292 takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Last event’s results: 3-3

Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2023: 78-62-4

Welcome to MMA Junkie’s Quick Picks and Prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for UFC main cards.

With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive, as my goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by FanDuel.

If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.

So, without further ado…

UFC 292: Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 292 odds between Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos with MMA picks and predictions.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

In a 5-round women’s strawweight championship bout on the main card, Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos meet at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston Saturday. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 292: Zhang vs. Lemos odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

Records: Zhang (23-3-0) | Lemos (13-2-1)

The early prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+. The prelims start at 8 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View.

Zhang lost her championship belt at UFC 261 against Rose Namajunas, as she was knocked out in short order in Round 1. She got another crack at it at UFC 268, and went the distance, falling via split decision.

After knocking out Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275, and sending her to retirement, Zhang got a crack at Carla Esparza for another title shot. She reclaimed the strap last time out at UFC 281, winning via 2nd-round submission.

Lemos gets her first title shot after a pair of stoppages against Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Marina Rodriguez. In fact, the Brazilian fighter has ended up going the distance just once in the past 6 outings, winning 3 times via KO/TKO, while going 1-1 by way of submission.

The 36-year-old Lemos holds a 2-inch reach advantage, while Zhang owns a 5.79-to-4.51 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. Lemos is a little more accurate, landing 61.19% of her significant strikes, to just 53.44% for the champ. Zhang has a 1.97 takedown average, to just 1.12 for Lemos, but the challenger is much more accurate in that department, with a 55.56% takedown accuracy percentage to Zhang’s 34.21%.

Watch  this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 292: Zhang vs. Lemos odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:30 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Zhang -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Lemos +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
  • Over/Under: 3.5 rounds (Over +165 | Under -225)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +250 | No -375)

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]

UFC 292: Zhang vs. Lemos picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

This will be quite a bout, and Zhang (-350) will get all she can handle from the challenger Lemos (+260). In fact, it’s tempting to take “Amandinha” for the upset.

However, Zhang has that championship pedigree, and she knows what it takes to beat everyone but Namajunas.

ZHANG ON POINTS (+350) is worth a look, rather than playing her straight up, and it’s a good bet to multiply your initial wager by 3 1/2 times.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES (+250): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is not what the books are thinking, but it’s a great opportunity to more than double up.

Lemos hasn’t gone the distance very much since arriving at the UFC level, but this will easily be her biggest test. Zhang has ended up going the distance in 4 of her 9 fights at the UFC level, and this title bout will be no different, as she uses her experience and reach advantage to keep Lemos at bay.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

UFC 292: Sterling vs. O’Malley live-streamed watch-along with MMA Junkie Radio (8 p.m. ET)

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of UFC 292 in Boston.

UFC 292 takes place Saturday headlined by two title fights, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) takes on challenger [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Sterling holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 135 pounds. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) meets challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the first test of her second reign as titleholder.

UFC 292 takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

Below is the lineup of fights included in the watch-along:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley – for bantamweight title
  • Champ Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos – for women’s strawweight title
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Neil Magny
  • Mario Bautista vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Marlon Vera

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Brad Tavares vs. Chris Weidman
  • Gregory Rodrigues vs. Denis Tiuliulin
  • Kurt Holobaugh vs. Austin Hubbard – “TUF” 31 lightweight final
  • Cody Gibson vs. Brad Katona  – “TUF” 31 bantamweight final

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 ceremonial faceoffs: Best photos from Boston

Check out the best photos from the UFC 292 ceremonial faceoffs, which took place Friday at TD Garden in Boston.

BOSTON – The 24 fighters competing at  got one final look at each other before they cross paths inside the cage Saturday at UFC 292.

The event’s ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs took place Friday at TD Garden, the same venue that hosts the fights. Among them were the four competitors fighting for title gold: [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag], [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag], and [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag].

Check out the best photos from the ceremonial faceoffs, via MMA Junkie’s Nolan King.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 video: Amanda Lemos declares she’s already champ after final faceoff with Zhang Weili

Saturday’s UFC 292 co-main event women’s title fight is set after Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins in Boston.

BOSTON – Saturday’s co-main event women’s title fight is set after Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.

Ahead of UFC 292, which takes place at TD Garden in Boston, women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Brazilian challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) got face to face in the same arena they’ll fight in.

Check out the video from the ceremonial weigh-ins above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Zhang Weili gets supportive message from Tom Brady

In the latest UFC 292 “Embedded,” the media day and pre-fight press conference go down, and Zhang Weili gets a message from Tom Brady.

The UFC is back with its 10th pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 292 takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) takes on challenger [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Sterling holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 135 pounds. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) meets challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the first test of her second reign as titleholder.

In addition, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman (15-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) returns from more than two years out after a severe broken leg in 2021. He takes on Brad Tavares (19-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in a featured bout on the prelims.

The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Sean O’Malley welcomes his destiny. Ian Machado Garry and Neil Magny get ready for battle. Champ Aljamain Sterling suits up. Words fly at the presser, followed by intense staredowns between champs and their foes.

Also see:

[listicle id=2669956]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 breakdown: Zhang Weili is a big betting favorite over Amanda Lemos. Is it justified?

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC 292 co-main event between Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the co-main event for UFC 292.

UFC 292 takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Photos: UFC 292 official weigh-ins

Check out the best photos from the UFC 292 official weigh-ins including Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and more.

Check out these photos of the UFC 292 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Boston. (Photos by Nolan King, MMA Junkie)

UFC 292 video: Zhang Weili, Amanda Lemos present different energy as fight becomes official

After making weight ahead of their UFC 292 title bout, Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos had different energies going.

BOSTON – [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] and [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] both made weight relatively early in the weigh-ins window ahead of their UFC 292 title fight, but they presented differently thereafter.

Ahead of what she hopes to be her second successful UFC title defense Saturday at TD Garden, Weili (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) was the second fighter on the card to step on the scales. She presented herself in a vintage, upbeat fashion with a heart-handed pose after she hit championship weight on the mark at 115 pounds.

Lemos (13-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) presented a more serious demeanor, as she closely watched Massachusetts State Athletic Commission member Chris Palmquist fiddle with the beam scale. Ultimately, she hit her mark one pound under, at 114 pounds.

Check out the UFC 292 co-main event fighters make weight in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

[vertical-gallery id=2670972]