Athletes
Jaqueline Amorim Is Only Getting Better
After Dropping Her UFC Debut, Jaqueline Amorim Learned Her Lessons And Is Hoping To Snag Her Third Consecutive Win At UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady
Although a fighter starting their UFC tenure on a streak of wins is always going to garner more hype than otherwise, an early loss can also benefit a prospective contender if they bounce back stronger from it. That is the case for Jaqueline Amorim, who dropped her UFC debut at UFC 287 via decision to Sam Hughes. That fight was not only her first UFC bout, but also her first fight to go beyond the first round.
About 17 months and two stoppage wins over Montserrat Ruiz and Cory McKenna later, Amorim speaks about her 15 minutes with Hughes glowingly.
“That (loss) made me open my eyes for a lot of things that I needed to grow in my game as a fighter and overall,” Amorim said during her media day interview with UFC.com. “Since then, I have put in more effort in my training to evolve and be a complete fighter. I tell my coach I’m so glad that happened at that moment in my first fight because I didn’t want it to happen later in my career. I took a lot of learning experiences from that fight.”
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Her two subsequent results speak to that improvement, and her first-round submission win over McKenna showed she is getting up to speed in the UFC quickly. The first-round finish was the seventh of her professional career to date, so, on the balance, it gives insight into the fighter Amorim expects to be.
Jaqueline Amorim Gets The Armbar Submission On McKenna | UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs Tybura
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Jaqueline Amorim Gets The Armbar Submission On McKenna | UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs Tybura
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Amorim not only feels more at ease in the Octagon, but she also is able to enjoy the lead-up to her fights much more than that first voyage into the media machine that is the UFC.
“Right now, I feel more comfortable with the whole environment since my debut,” she said. “I feel like a more mature fighter with fighting and with the whole fight week.”
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She gets her stiffest test yet on September 7 in the form of Vanessa Demopoulos. After dropping her own debut back in August 2021, “Lil Monster” ripped off five wins out of her following six fights and has shown the ability to maintain a strong pace for all 15 minutes.
Beyond Demopoulos’ success in the Octagon, Amorim is looking forward to the stylistic clash. Both fighters claim jiu jitsu as their mixed martial arts base. Demopoulos boasts four submission wins on her record, but Amorim anticipates her lifelong dedication to the grappling game will push her over the edge when the fight inevitably moves there.
“I think the whole experience I have in jiu jitsu makes me a little ahead of (my opponents) because I never stopped training jiu jitsu,” she said. “It was not something that I did for the job. It’s been my whole life since I was five years old. I think that makes a little difference when you go to the Octagon and somebody has less mat time. I love to go for the submission. I don’t want to just grapple and hold people; I think that makes a difference for me.”
Amorim anticipates a “great challenge” from Demopoulos, but that’ll only push her to perform at her best. The 29-year-old Brazilian believes a win at UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady could put her in position to challenge for a Top 15 spot in the ensuing months, but more than a ranking, she just wants more opportunities to show the best version of herself.
“I just hope people see how great I can be,” she said. “I really want to show a lot of things I’ve been working on in this fight camp. I want to be a complete fighter and show the world what I’m capable of.”
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 7, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!