UFC Vegas 94 start time, full fight card details | Lemos vs. Jandiroba

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Las Vegas, Nevada, to stage UFC Vegas 94 later TONIGHT (Sat., July 20, 2024) inside UFC Apex. Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event is a women’s Strawweight fight between Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba, while Steve Garcia will face Seung Woo Choi in the co-headlining act (because of this).

What’s Hot:

For the second straight week, the women will take center stage as the No. 3-ranked fighter at 115 pounds (Lemos), battles the No. 5-seeded Jandiroba. Lemos is 3-1 in their last four fights and is coming off a one-sided beatdown over Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298 (recap here). Lemos is one of the hardest hitters in the division, and after stumbling out of the gates in her UFC debut by losing to Leslie Smith, she went on to win five in a row, then suffered losses to former champions Jessica Andrade and Zhang Weili.

As for Jandiroba, she has bounced back nicely after losing to Carla Esparza in her UFC debut, racking up a 6-2 record, which includes winning her last three in a row against Loopy Godinez, Angela Hill and Marina Rodriguez. Currently ranked No. 5, she is making a push to a title fight, and a win over Lemos will definitely help her cause. The jiu-jitsu black belt has 13 wins via submission and only one knockout, so taking it to the ground is what she prefers to do … and it’s no secret why. As For Lemos, she has eight knockouts with three submissions, so this is indeed a clash of styles. The winner takes a huge leap in the division, and a title fight is very realistic.

What’s Not:

Lucie Pudilova is currently on a two-fight losing streak, while her opponent, Luana Carolina, is on a two-fight win streak. Why UFC matchmakers continue to book fighters on nice runs against opponents on cold streaks is beyond me. Perhaps a petty gripe, but a gripe nonetheless.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card:

Tracy Cortez was initially slated to face Miranda Maverick at this event before she was pulled in to fill in for Maycee Barber at UFC Denver against Rose Namajunas. Cortez went onto lose a unanimous decision to “Thug Rose.” Maverick will now face Dione Barbosa. Then, after the official weigh ins, Park Jun-yong was not medically cleared by the athletic commission and his scheduled Middleweight fight against Brad Tavares was canceled.

Injuries:

Joanderson Brito was in line to face Dan Ige at this event before a leg injury forced him out of the event. He was replaced by Chepe Mariscal, but Ige was then pulled from the event after he agreed to step in to face Diego Lopes at UFC 303 on a few hours notice after Brian Ortega withdrew because of an illness. Mariscal will now face Damon Jackson in a few weeks at UFC Vegas 96.

New Blood:

There are no newcomers at this event.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Mohammed Usman suffered his first loss inside the UFC Octagon in his previous bout, losing to Michael Parkin via unanimous decision and snapping his three-fight win streak. Now, the former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner will attempt to get back into the winner’s circle when he battles Thomas Petersen, who lost in his UFC debut to Jamal Pogues. Both of these hard-hitting big men have the power to end the fight in the blink of an eye, so don’t change the channel.

Trey Ogden has been alternating wins and losses ever since he made his UFC debut in April 2022, leading to a 2-2-1 record. He will aim to secure his first two-fight win streak inside the Octagon when he takes on Loik Radzhabov. “The Tajik Tank” is 2-1 inside UFC’s cage, also alternating wins and losses.

Barbosa is currently on a four-fight win streak, which includes coming out on top in her UFC debut against Ernesta Kareckaite at UFC 301 just two months ago. In her quick turnaround, she agreed to face Maverick after Cortez was yanked from the fight. As for Maverick, she is 4-1 in her last five fights and another win could get her into the Top 15.

In a Featherweight battle between two rising and streaking contenders, Jeong Yeong will take on Hyder Amil. Yeong is 11-1 overall and is currently riding an eight-fight win streak. As for Amil, he is undefeated (9-0) with five knockouts. This could very well be an early contender for “Fight of the Night.”

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Brian Kelleher never really got the push he so desired by UFC after six years with the promotion. And that hope has dwindled even more after three straight losses, with his last win coming more than 2.5 years ago. Another loss could end his run with the promotion. The man preparing to give his his fourth straight defeat is Cody Gibson, who is on a two-fight losing streak (lost three of four). Upon further inspection, this could very well be a loser leaves town match.

Interest Level: 5/10

In the new co-main event, Garcia will go toe-to-toe against Woo Choi. Garcia is currently on a three-fight win streak and is coming off a technical knockout win over Melquizael Costa. Choi, meanwhile, recently snapped his three-fight losing streak by securing a much-needed win over Jarno Errens. He hasn’t won back-to-back fights since 2021, so he is hoping to change all of that in “Sin City.”

Kaynan Kruschewsky saw his six-fight win streak go up in smoke in his UFC debut after getting knocked out by Elves Brener. Standing in his way to score his first win inside the Octagon is Kurt Holobaugh, who is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Trey Ogden. With a record of 1-4 under the UFC banner, Holobaugh needs a win in a bad way.

In a rather odd pairing, Bruno Gustavo da Silva — who is on a three-fight win streak — will face off against Cody Durden, who is coming off a submission loss at UFC 296. Again, a streaking fighter facing a man coming off a loss simply doesn’t sit well with me, but, I just write about MMA, I don’t do the matchmaking. What’s up, Jon Anik?

Choi Doo-ho came into the UFC with a 14-1 record, and then went on to win his first three fights inside the Octagon. Since then he has gone 0-3-1, and is in desperate need of a win. I don’t think he will get cut with another loss, but a win is a must here for his sake. He will be facing off against Bill Algeo, who is out to right his own ship after he was knocked out by Kyle Nelson in the very first round just four months ago.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Vegas 94 Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 94 Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+:

115 lbs.: Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba

UFC Vegas 94 Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):

185 lbs.: Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park — CANCELED (details here)
145 lbs.: Steve Garcia vs. Seung Woo Choi
155 lbs.: Kurt Holobaugh vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky
125 lbs.: Cody Durden vs. Bruno Silva
145 lbs.: Doo Ho Choi vs. Bill Algeo

UFC Vegas 94 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (5 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Jeong Yeong Lee vs. Hyder Amil
135 lbs.: Brian Kelleher vs. Cody Gibson
125 lbs.: Miranda Maverick vs. Dione Barbosa
155 lbs.: Loik Radzhabov vs. Trey Ogden
135 lbs.: Luana Carolina vs. Lucie Pudilova
265 lbs.: Mohammed Usman vs. Thomas Petersen

here.