Jessica Andrade has been going backward and ahead between flyweight and strawweight within the previous few years, but that’s come to an stop.
Andrade has made up our minds to assign her flyweight occupation on retain to accommodate getting wait on the belt she once held at 115 pounds. This campaign to accommodate one division starts Saturday within the co-foremost tournament of UFC on ESPN 50, which takes self-discipline at Bridgestone Enviornment in Nashville, Tenn.
Andrade (24-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) takes on undefeated contender Tatiana Suarez (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in hopes to leap wait on from a two-wrestle skid.
“Now I are eager to cease on this division,” Andrade told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “It’s the division where I became champion. I deem that staying on this division is a correct notify. I’m stronger, I’m better. I’m also correct within the division above, but I are eager to steady care for one division because after I’m in two divisions, I’m now not well ranked in either. I’m continually fourth, fifth, eight, but if I most effective care for one, I deem I may scamper to No. 1 over again.
“After I rep the title (at strawweight), then I’d are eager to scamper to flyweight and wrestle for a belt there to clutch a glance at to be a two-division UFC champion.”
Andrade fought 5 occasions at 125 pounds and went 3-2. Her defeats got here in opposition to then-champion Valentina Shevchenko in a championship bout and a transient-survey wrestle in opposition to then-rising contender Erin Blanchfield.
The Brazilian felt gay struggling with at flyweight, but she does admit she was once giving up advantages that she otherwise wouldn’t be pleased at strawweight.
“When I wrestle at strawweight, I’m struggling with girls that are my same top and size,” Andrade acknowledged. “Infrequently you’ll be pleased somebody like Tatiana who’s bigger, but it’s very manageable since I fought at 135. I’m frail to all this. It’ll be correct. That is my weight class.”
As a ways because the bout in opposition to Suarez, Andrade sees it as a correct alternative to internet wait on within the title combine. She is aware of there’s a possibility in taking a educated contender on speedy survey, but she is also aware of there’s a immense reward if victorious.
“After they told me about this wrestle, it was once a couple of month within the past,” Andrade acknowledged. “Virna (Jandiroba) has a booked wrestle in opposition to Tatiana, but she suffered an pain and had to internet surgery. The UFC called me and acknowledged, ‘Jessica, you settle on to wrestle again?’ and I spoke to my coach and management, and we acknowledged, ‘Yeah, let’s lunge.’ It’s a correct wrestle.
“I’m coming off two losses, so I deem a rep over Tatiana is a stable assertion to internet wait on within the combine, and who know, presumably this coming year I’m struggling with for the belt. Combating Tatiana is a extraordinarily correct alternative.”
For more on the cardboard, focus on over with MMA Junkie’s tournament hub for UFC on ESPN 50.