Surging strawweight prospect Amanda Lemos will attempt to enter the title picture with a sixth consecutive victory on Saturday when she faces former champion Jessica Andrade in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade. Their showdown closes the curtain on the MMA showcase from the Apex facility in Las Vegas, with the main UFC fight card set for 9 p.m. ET. Lemos is ranked No. 10 and will likely crack the top five with what would be the signature win of her career. She has come a long way from her inauspicious UFC debut that saw her get knocked out by veteran Leslie Smith and subsequently suspended two years because of a positive drug test.

Andrade is a -170 favorite (risk $170 to win $100), while Lemos is priced at +150 in the latest UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade odds at Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, rugged lightweights take the spotlight when Claudio Puelles (-115) meets Clay Guida (-105). Before making any UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade picks of your own, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Andrew Gombas. 

Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who taps into his experience on the mat to dissect the X’s and O’s of MMA matchups in a manner that sets him apart from other MMA analysts. He started the MMA handicapping service MMA Knockout Bets in 2018 and has shown a profit every year since.

With more than 1,400 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 6 percent return on investment for his followers. Over the past two years, his followers have netted a profit of more than $10,000. 

In January, Gombas launched the 2022 UFC season in grand fashion by recommending that SportsLine members support Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in a battle of ranked featherweight contenders in the main event. Kattar dominated in a unanimous decision to give his followers an easy winner. Anyone who has followed Gombas already has seen massive returns. 

Now, with UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade looming, Gombas has studied the card from every angle and released his top MMA picks. His picks are only available at SportsLine.  

UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade preview

The main event is expected to be an action-packed fight because both combatants are known for coming forward and have extremely high finish rates.

Andrade (22-9) is tied for the second-most stoppage wins (four) in the strawweight division behind current champion Rose Namajunas (five), while her three knockouts remain the division’s high mark. 

The 30-year-old Brazilian is likely best known for a pair of memorable fights against Namajunas. At UFC 237 in May 2019, she won the title while fending off a submission attempt by Namajunas with a vicious body slam that left Namajunas unconscious on the canvas. The highlight-reel knockout remains one of the most violent finishes in the history of women’s mixed martial arts. 

Andrade lost the belt in her first title defense against Zhang Weili before dropping a controversial split decision to Namajunas in a title-eliminator at UFC 251 in July 2020. Following the title-fight loss to Shevchenko at flyweight, she knocked out heralded prospect Cynthia Calvillo.

Lemos (11-1-1) was stopped in her UFC debut by veteran Leslie Smith but has since reeled off five consecutive victories, with three coming inside the distance. The 34-year-old Brazilian has seen seven of her 11 professional MMA wins come by stoppage. 

Lemos cracked the top-10 rankings following a razor-thin split decision against perennial contender Angela Hill in December. A victory over a proven former champion in Andrade would cement her status as a legitimate title contender. You can only see who to back here.

UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade predictions

We’ll share one of Gombas’ UFC Fight Night picks here: He is siding with Dwight Grant (+100) to get the nod against Sergey Khandozhko (-120) in a matchup of explosive welterweight prospects.

Grant (11-4) is a four-year UFC veteran who is known for his power punching and straight-ahead style. He has seven knockouts among his 11 professional MMA victories, but his last two outings have resulted in razor-thin split decisions. In his last fight, he came out on the short end of the scorecards against veteran Francisco Trinaldo in their October meeting.

Khandozhko (26-6) is a decorated grappler and submission specialist who joined the UFC in 2019 following standout stints in a variety of promotions. He has split a pair of bouts in the UFC, and his last performance ended in a decision loss to Rustam Khabilov.

“Khandozhko has effective low kicks, while Grant has a slight power edge. I believe this will be a close fight, but I give Grant the edge because of his proven strength of schedule,” Gombas told SportsLine. 

How to make UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade picks 

Gombas also has strong picks for Lemos vs. Andrade and other fights on the UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade card. He’s also backing a fighter who “has fought far better competition” to take advantage of a favorable matchup and roll to a dominant victory. Those UFC picks and predictions are only available at SportsLine.

Who wins Lemos vs. Andrade? And which fighter is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who’s up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out. 

UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade odds

Jessica Andrade (-170) vs. Amanda Lemos (+150)
Claudio Puelles (-115) vs. Clay Guida (-105)
Charles Jourdain (-135) vs. Lando Vannata (+115)
Maycee Barber (-190) vs. Montana De la Rosa (+170)
Manel Kape (-170) vs. Mudaerji Su (+150)
Louis Cosce (-150) vs. Preston Parsons (+130)
Sergey Khandozhko (-120) vs. Dwight Grant (+100)
Tyson Pedro (-500) vs. Ike Villanueva (+400)
Aori Qileng (-220) vs. Cameron Else (+190)
Marcin Prachino (-125) vs. Philipe Lins (+105)
Dean Barry (-1,100) vs. Mike Jackson (+700)
Marc-Andre Barriault (-155) vs. Jordan Wright (+135)