There have been a lot of moving parts that got us to our main event this weekend. Sandhagen vs Vera was set to headline but got moved to a UFC event in San Antonio. Then Talia Santos pulled out of the new main event for personal reasons. This brings us to our new-new main event, where former Strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, who beat Lauren Murphy less than four weeks ago, will step in on one week’s notice against the powerful rising star, Erin Blanchfield.
With big wins, heartbreaking losses, world titles and multiple weight class changes, Jessica Andrade’s career has been a rollercoaster of emotions for her and her fans. This year marks the Brazilian’s tenth year in the UFC. Let’s look at some of her standout moments throughout her hard-fought run.
First Win at Strawweight
Andrade went 4-3 at Bantamweight in the UFC before dropping two divisions to Strawweight in 2016. Her first challenge at 115 lbs was against Jessica Penne, who was coming off a title fight against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, so it was no easy task. Nevertheless, the Brazilian made it look easy. She backed up Penne against the cage and threw everything at the American, landing herself her first TKO victory in the UFC (seen below). It was a big statement for the 31-year-old as she made the division recognise what kind of power she could bring to the table when fighting at her natural weight class.
Fight of the Night Against Angela Hill
Back in 2017, Jessica Andrade took on Angela Hill in a fight that would not only earn them both fight-of-the-night bonuses but also earn Andrade her first shot at gold. The Brazilian came at Hill for the entirety of the fight, beating her up for 15 minutes straight. Even when Hill landed something clean, it never seemed to faze Andrade. After her flawless performance, Andrade spoke to the media and told them that she kept the bout on the feet to make things harder on herself to prepare for her title challenge against the undefeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk. This kind of attitude is nothing less than commendable, and it’s what wins world titles.
Jessica Andrade Becomes Strawweight Champion
After coming up short in her first shot at gold against Jedrzejczyk, Andrade would take out top contenders; Tecia Torres, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Claudia Gadelha to earn herself another title shot. This time it would be against the new Strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas. With the fight going down in the Brazilian’s homeland at UFC 237, it seemed like it was always going to be her night.
However, “Thug Rose” was superior in the first round. Her movement was too quick for Andrade to deal with. Combining this with her slick boxing made it look like she was coasting to another title defence. Andrade visibly took lots of damage and was even dropped in the first round. Nonetheless, she did what she’s best known for and kept the forward pressure going in the second. Eventually, she slowed Rose down with some leg kicks and backed her up against the fence. Andrade ended the fight with a brutal slam KO (seen below), becoming the Strawweight champion in Brazil in an emphatic fashion.
Find out when and where you can watch the action this weekend here.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
