UFC On ABC: ‘OGs’ Of Women’s MMA Set For Action Saturday

Some of the original superstars of women’s MMA hit the Octagon Saturday night at UFC on ABC.

The event features Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez in the headline bout. That is set for ABC and ESPN+ from the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

In other features fights, Michelle Waterson tangles with Amanda Lemos and Miesha Tate meets Lauren Murphy. Both of those are also set for the ABC and ESPN+ main card.

On the prelims, Jessica Penne kicks things off against Emily Ducote. That fight will air on both ESPN and stream live on ESPN+.

Waterson, a former Invicta FC atomweight champion, is struggled in recent years. She is just 1-3 over her last four fights, with the losses coming to current champion Carla Esparza, former titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Marina Rodriguez.

“The Karate Hottie” holds wins over Angela Hill, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Felice Herrig and Paige VanZant during her UFC run. She has also shared the Octagon with Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres.

Lemos had her five-fight win streak snapped in April by Jessica Andrade whens he got caught in a standing arm-triangle choke. Prior to that, she had picked up wins over Hill, Livia Renata Souza and Mizuki Inoue to name a few.

Tate is in a similar position to that of Waterson. She is just 1-3 over her last four, returning from a five-year retirement in 2021 with a win over Marion Reneau.

Last November, she lost to Ketlen Vieira. The former champion is 19-8 overall with win over Holly Holm, Jessica Eye and Sara McMann.

Murphy rode a five-fight win streak to a title shot vs. Valentina Shevchenko last September. In the fourth round, she was finished, falling to 15-5 overall.