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Jéssica Andrade Keeps Finding New Challenges
Former Champ Jéssica Andrade Can’t Help But Find New Goals To Pursue 11 Years Into Her UFC Career. Next Up: A New Style Of Opponent At UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady
Jéssica Andrade is truly one-of-a-kind. Not only has the 32-year-old picked up finishes across three divisions, including her strawweight title-winning slam in 2019, but she is also the UFC women’s all-time leader in fights (27), wins (17) and performance bonuses (10). In 2023, she tied the all-time record for fights in a calendar year with five, and in her first fight of that stretch against Lauren Murphy, she landed the most significant strikes in a single women’s flyweight bout with 231.
With all that in mind, it’s a little surprising for the calendar to read “September” and for Andrade to approach just her second fight of 2024. The bout against Natalia Silva at UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady is also her first back up at flyweight since February 2023, when Erin Blanchfield submitted her in the second round. Although her team advised her to take things a little easier in 2024, the Brazilian just received the right incentive to move back up to 125 pounds.
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“My manager basically said, ‘If you don’t fight at flyweight, they’re going to get you out of the rankings,’” Andrade told UFC.com. “I kind of like to hog the ball a little bit. I didn’t want to get out of the rankings, so I needed to do that.”
Full Fight | Jéssica Andrade vs Claudia Gadelha
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Full Fight | Jéssica Andrade vs Claudia Gadelha
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The timing worked out well for the sixth-ranked Andrade (who also holds the No. 4 spot in the strawweight rankings). Her bout with the eighth-ranked Silva comes a week before the women’s flyweight trilogy bout between champion Alexa Grasso and former queen Valentina Shevchenko. The winner between Andrade and Silva may be well positioned to pursue a title fight in the coming year.
Implications aside, Andrade is eager to face Silva just based off the fact that the surging 27-year-old brings a different skillset than Andrade has seen in the Octagon.
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady: Fight By Fight Preview | Fighters On The Rise
“I’ve never actually fought somebody that is a taekwondo specialist,” Andrade said. “It’s my first time doing it, so basically the technique is to avoid giving her the distance for those kicks, and for her to move around and to strike. Close that distance and close that gap. And also watch out for judo takedowns, which she likes to do, as well. Try to implement my kicks, as well. Looking at her, the way she moves around the Octagon, taking advantage of the fact that this is a smaller Octagon and she will have less space to move, I can try to put my power to use. There’s a lot of things we can do.”
Silva enters the fight on an 11-fight winning streak, including five consecutive wins to open her UFC account. She is also Andrade’s third consecutive Brazilian opponent, which Andrade joked is unfortunate, as the bout takes place on Brazilian Independence Day.
Considering the wealth of Brazilian talent in the flyweight and strawweight divisions, she understands the unavoidable circumstances.
“Of course, I try not to fight other Brazilians, but it happens and it’s inevitable because so many of us are represented in the division,” Andrade said. “(She) is a tough opponent, someone that has been on the rise in the division, but the strategy is out there for us.”
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Andrade isn’t getting too ahead of herself when it comes to pursuing another UFC title, although the prospect of becoming the second woman to earn belts in two divisions is enticing. She believes Grasso defending the title would mean more opportunity for herself, as she already fought and lost to Shevchenko back in 2021, but what matters first is beating Silva.
What she is allowing herself to imagine is getting back to a busy schedule in 2025 because, at the end of the day, “Bate Estaca” likes to keep things busy, and that is something that benefits any fight fan.
“I’m thinking maybe three, four, maybe another fight,” Andrade said. “It depends on the division, as well, because it can be in either. Maybe for a BMF? I don’t know what comes up, but we really want to be active next year.”
UFC CEO Dana White did float the idea of a women’s BMF fight following Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje’s epic bout at UFC 300, and if anyone is deserving to find themselves in that inaugural spot, it’s Andrade.
That’s just another record to keep in mind for the record-breaking queen herself.
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 7, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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