Snohomish native Granger suffers first loss of pro career

BUSAN, South Korea — Miranda Granger’s first foray overseas did not go the way she planned.

The Snohomish native and rising mixed martial arts star suffered the first defeat of her professional career when she lost by first-round submission to Amanda Lemos on Saturday as part of UFC Fight Night 165.

Granger, who fights out of Charlie’s Combat Club in Everett and was fighting for the second time since signing with UFC, MMA’s top worldwide promotion, in July, saw her record drop to 7-1.

“No excuses, I got caught,” Granger said in an Instagram post. “I felt very confident going into the fight tonight, probably too confident. I let myself down. I’m not upset that I lost, I knew eventually in my career this would come, but I am upset that I did things that prevented me from winning. I congratulate my opponent for capitalizing on those mistakes.”

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No excuses, I got caught. I felt very confident going into the fight tonight, probably too confident. I let myself down. I’m not upset that I lost, I knew eventually in my career this would come, but I am upset that I did things that prevented me from winning. I congratulate my opponent for capitalizing on those mistakes. 5 years in the sport never seeing the other side, it gives you the feeling that you’re invincible, but even the best can be broken. Before I walked out to the cage I was praying, and in my head popped “Trust in God’s plan, I promise you it’s worth it.”…Funny how you think you know the meaning of something until it quickly goes a different direction. Yes I fell down, but you better believe when I stand back up everyone will know. #dangeroustimes

A post shared by Miranda "DANGER" Granger (@mirandagranger) on Dec 21, 2019 at 4:35am PST

Lemos, a native of Brazil who was fighting for the first time since serving a two-year suspension for testing positive for a banned substance, improved to 7-1-1.

In a strawweight (115 pounds) bout scheduled for three five-minute rounds, Lemos gained control about a minute into the first round with a takedown. Lemos maintained a top position against the cage until she worked her way into a choke position, and she was able to get the pressure on Granger’s throat to choke Granger unconscious for the submission.

For Lemos, who fought at bantamweight (135 pounds) prior to her suspension and came into the bout ranked by Tapology.com as the 43rd-best female bantamweight in the world, it was her seventh straight win by submission or knockout.

Granger, who came into the fight ranked by Tapology.com as the 75th-best female flyweight in the world — Granger’s UFC debut was a unanimous decision over Hannah Goldy at 125 pounds in August — took the fight on short notice after Venezuela’s Veronica Macedo had to withdraw because of injury. She had won six of her previous seven fights by submission or knockout, five of those coming in the first round.