At Noche UFC 3 in San Antonio, Tatiana Suarez used her trademark wrestling to grind out a unanimous decision win over fellow contender Amanda Lemos. Suarez repeatedly drove Lemos to the fence and scored takedowns through the first two rounds, controlling position and neutralizing Lemos’s striking. Although Lemos surged late in Round 3 with sharp elbows, heavy punches, and a strong ground-and-pound flurry, Suarez’s early dominance proved enough to secure 29-28 scores across the board, moving her to 11-1 overall and strengthening her case as a top strawweight title contender.
The next logical step for Lemos is a clash with fellow Brazilian contender Tabatha Ricci. Ricci is coming off a statement TKO win over Amanda Ribas at UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. de Ridder and has won four of her last five bouts to establish herself as a top-eight strawweight. Matching Lemos with Ricci would pair two dangerous strikers with grappling depth in a fight that could help define the next tier of title challengers at 115 pounds.
Stylistically, this matchup is intriguing. Lemos is a powerful striker with knockout ability and improved takedown defense, while Ricci mixes crisp boxing with opportunistic grappling and high output. Both fighters have the cardio and toughness to push a fast pace over three rounds. For Lemos, it’s a chance to rebound from a tough loss and reaffirm her elite status. For Ricci, it’s an opportunity to score the biggest win of her career and break into the top five.
Last Five Fights – Amanda Lemos:
1. Loss to Tatiana Suarez – Decision (unanimous), Noche UFC 3 (September 13, 2025)
2. Win over Iasmin Lucindo – Decision (unanimous), UFC 313 (March 8, 2025)
3. Loss to Virna Jandiroba – Submission (armbar), UFC on ESPN (July 20, 2024)
4. Win over Mackenzie Dern – Decision (unanimous), UFC 298 (February 17, 2024)
5. Loss to Zhang Weili – Decision (unanimous), UFC 292 (August 19, 2023)
Last Five Fights – Tabatha Ricci:
1. Win over Amanda Ribas – TKO (elbow and punches), UFC on ABC (July 26, 2025)
2. Loss to Yan Xiaonan – Decision (unanimous), UFC Fight Night (November 23, 2024)
3. Win over Angela Hill – Decision (unanimous), UFC on ESPN (August 24, 2024)
4. Win over Tecia Pennington – Decision (split), UFC on ESPN (May 11, 2024)
5. Loss to Loopy Godinez – Decision (split), UFC 295 (November 11, 2023)