UFC’s firehose of newbies is finally petering out, leaving just one Octagon debutante on Saturday’s UFC 287 pay-per-view (PPV) card from Miami, Florida. On this edition of New Blood, the series that keeps me committed to way too many streaming services, we look at a Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace with a history of quick finishes.
Jaqueline “Jacque” Amorim
Weight Class: Strawweight
Age: 27
Record: 6-0 (1 KO, 5 SUB)
Notable Victories: Ashley Nichols, Loveth Young
After a lengthy and decorated run on the international grappling circuit, Amorim made her mixed martial arts (MMA) debut in 2020, scoring a pair of quick submissions to punch her ticket to Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA). She quickly racked up a perfect record (4-0) in the promotion that notably saw her tap Loveth Young for the Strawweight title and finish Ashley Nichols in her first defense.
Amorim’s entire career spans around 10 minutes and her last fight comprises almost half of that, so there’s only so much analysis I can do. On the feet, she prefers staying at long range and tossing out single strikes. These are mostly naked kicks, though she showed off some impressive power in her right hand when she stopped Megan Owen in 10 seconds. While she’ll paw with her lead hand, I don’t think I’ve seen her commit to a genuine jab or combination.
Her stand up is on the lower end of functional at the moment, especially since she’s not that quick, but that right hand and the fact that she’s training out of American Top Team means there’s some potential there.
Her featured attraction is her ground game. She can slice through guards with incredible ease en route to side control, mount or the back, where she’ll pound away until a neck or arm presents itself. While her entries aren’t the fastest and she doesn’t know how to set them up with strikes, she finishes her takedowns well. She proved dangerous off her back as well, catching Young in a nasty kneebar after getting a naked kick caught and eating hammer fists.
Her pedigree is spectacular and she’s fighting out of a great camp, so it’s worth getting excited about “Jacque.” I personally think she might still be a bit too green — particularly on the feet — but she’s definitely got some winnable match ups in UFC’s Strawweight division. She’s in tougher than the odds suggest against Sam Hughes, however, who’s a decent wrestler in her own right and has Amorim outclassed on the feet.
That said, Hughes does have some serious issues with her takedown defense, so Amorim should still come out on top.
Her LFA bouts are on Fight Pass.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 287 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 287: “Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
