Amanda Lemos had to dig deep for her fifth straight win, but she got her hand raised via split decision in a razor-close bout with fellow strawweight contender Angela Hill.
Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 28-29 for the No.11-ranked Lemos, now 11-1-1. The No.12-ranked Hill, who replaced Nina Nunes, falls to 13-11.
Lemos was throwing hard from the start, and a front kick followed by some punches put Hill on the deck in the second minute of the fight. Lemos tried to finish on the mat, but Hill recovered, and in a scramble, she got into the top position with a little over two minutes remaining. The two rose and swung, and this time, a right hand by Hill staggered the Brazilian before the pair went back and forth for the rest of the round.
Hill went on the attack to begin round two and she kept going, pressing the action throughout as Lemos’ work rate dropped significantly. In the opening minute of round three, Lemos landed the front kick again, but Hill didn’t blink, as she kept moving forward. In the second minute, a slip by Lemos allowed Hill to put the fight on the mat briefly, but even when the two stood, “Overkill” remained locked on until Lemos was able to take over in the clinch. Hill soon took the dominant position against the fence and she kept leading the action, with a spinning elbow catching and dropping Lemos before the two traded until the final horn.
Official result –Amanda Lemos def. Angela Hill via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)