Checking in with Virna Jandiroba

Ahead of her headlining clash with Amanda Lemos at UFC on ESPN 60 this Saturday, former Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight champ Virna Jandiroba (20-3, 6-3 UFC) spoke to Sherdog about her preparation for the fight, the path that brought her to her first UFC main event, and what the future might hold.

“I have much pride in my trajectory thus far in MMA,” Jandiroba said. “Since my start in regional fights in Brazil, to Invicta FC, to getting into the UFC, I’ve mostly won my fights, despite the occasional setback. I dealt with two back-to-back injuries more recently. Despite it all, I’ve persisted and continued improving. Today I’m in the UFC’s top 5. It’s something I’ve wanted to achieve since the start of my career, but I had to mature along the way first. I’m feeling very happy about it all.”

On the prospect of fighting fellow Brazilians for the top spot in the division, the 36-year-old recognizes that those collisions will be inevitable as multiple women converge on the same goal at the same time: “I’ll be facing Amanda Lemos, another Brazilian. These things happen. There are three Brazilians in the top 5. Besides Amanda, there’s also Jessica Andrade. So, facing each other is unavoidable. Amanda is a fierce fighter with very good striking. She’s efficient. But obviously we found holes in her game. She has holes in her ground game. It’s no surprise that it’s where I’m most comfortable. It’s what I’ll pursue in this fight.”

Preparation for “UFC Vegas 94” took place, as usual, at Jandiroba’s longtime headquarters in eastern Brazil, where she benefits from a veteran coaching staff and high-level training partners including some fellow Octagon fighters. “I did my camp in Bahia [Brazil] with my coaches and my entire multidisciplinary team. Even though I enjoy training elsewhere, when it’s time for a pre-fight training camp I prefer to be with my own team. I feel greater confidence in the work since they already know me. I like to feel at home. My head coach is Renato Velame. He’s always by my side. Robenilson Vieira is the boxing coach. I’m also training with UFC veteran Hugo Viana. I have a great team. Iasmin Lucindo is also part of our academy. She’s in the UFC top 15. We trained together a lot. She was a huge help.”

Beyond Saturday’s main event, Jandiroba declines to speculate on the future. Like her namesake bird of prey, “Carcara” sees nothing but the task before her. “My plan is to beat Amanda this Saturday. It’s all I’m focused on.”