Virna Jandiroba Wants Title Shot Next, Confident She Beats Weili Zhang with 'Weirdness'

After an uneven beginning to her Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure, Virna Jandiroba has emerged as a serious title contender over the course of the past two years.

The former Invicta FC strawweight queen earned her fourth straight victory on Saturday night, as she submitted ex-title challenger Amanda Lemos with an armbar in the second round of the UFC on ESPN 60 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Jandiroba outgrappled and outscrambled her opponent for the majority of the contest before securing the fight-ending maneuver late in Round 2.

“She’s a fantastic striker. But on top of just being very technical and very good striker, she’s a knockout artist. So I had to be extremely careful with that because I know that any wrong movement could be the end,” Jandiroba said through a translator at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Luckily we were able to put everything in place, get the fight to the ground and work the way it did. She’s a fantastic opponent that credentials me to fly on to bigger things.”

When she says “bigger things,” Jandiroba has one goal in mind: a UFC strawweight title shot. She believes that an emphatic victory over a recent No. 1 contender is that type of statement-making performance that can make that dream a reality.

“You never know the plans with the UFC, but I believe that this win, the way it went, especially not just beating, but submitting a former title contender like Amanda who is extremely tough, I think it should get me a title shot next,” Jandiroba said.

Reigning champion Weili Zhang last defended her crown at UFC 300, taking a unanimous decision over Xiaonan Yan on April 13. It’s her second reign at 115 pounds, and the Chinese standout is widely regarded as one of the top female pound-for-pound talents in the sport. Still, Jandiroba belives she has an approach that could give Zhang trouble.



UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

“The thing is, I’m not a very orthodox fighter,” Jandiroba said. “With time, I’m learning that I fight weird. My style’s a little different. The way that I grapple is a little strange. I know my wrestling is very effective, my jiu-jitsu is very good, but it’s not like you can say, ‘Oh, she’s like a proper wrestler,’ but I make it work.

“And within the weirdness of everything that I do, I think that I create problems for most people, and that’s how I can beat her. With the weirdness, that’s how I get my arm raised.”

Zhang has beaten many of the other top contenders in the UFC’s strawweight division. Outside of Tatiana Suarez , who owns the longest active winning streak at 115 pounds, Jandiroba would seem to have the most legitimate claim to the next championship opportunity. At least for now, “Carcara” seems willing to wait it out to get her desired fight.

“I believe that a title fight should be next,” Jandiroba said. “We don’t know how the division’s going to work out now, but four wins against some of the greatest fighters in the division, and especially with a submission over a title contender, I believe that should be enough to get me a title shot next.”