Did you know UFC 315’s Jessica Andrade is actually undefeated (2-0) in her most recent 115-pound appearances? How about the fact that she owns fairly recent stoppage victories over the No. 4- and No. 6-ranked contender in that class?
Her Strawweight success is easy to forget.
Bouncing between Strawweight and Flyweight, Andrade racked up more wins than losses to become a Top 10-ranked fighter in two divisions, but she is a noticeably more successful Strawweight. Her post-championship career has endured some tumultuous moments, most notably in 2023. Left broke after an ugly divorce, she opted to sign a new lucrative contract and fight five times in 12 months between the two divisions.
Predictably, it didn’t go that well, as she was finished in three consecutive fights and generally didn’t look to be at her best. One would assume, however, that the year of wild activity and high-level fights — all five of her opponents were/are elite contenders! — would give Andrade the financial freedom to make better choices moving forward.
The answer is a resounding maybe?
Like an average top contenders, Andrade fought twice in 2024, and those results demonstrate the problem. At 115 pounds, she decisioned Marina Rodriguez to extend her win streak to two after closing 2023 with a certified ass-kicking of Mackenzie Dern (watch highlights). Rather than capitalize on that momentum, she opted to jump back up to Flyweight and get beat up by the sharpest rising talent of the bunch, Natalia Silva.
At this point, it’s very clear that Andrade is a worse Flyweight than Strawweight. Whether you’re judging off win rate or quality of victories, Andrade is more successful at 115 pounds. Despite her various records for longevity and success in women’s MMA, “Bate Estaca” remains just 33 years old and should still be a relevant player in Strawweight’s title mix.
Instead, she’s continuing to sabotage her career with these Flyweight fights. Why in the world is she fighting Jasmine Jasudavicious this weekend in Montreal? It’s a close enough match up that either could win, but what’s there to gain here? Andrade doesn’t have a future as a contender in the division, not after losing two the top two young talents in Silva and Erin Blanchfield.
She doesn’t hit as hard and is easier to take down as a Flyweight.
At Strawweight, Andrade could actually build momentum. She has a loss on her record to Zhang Weili, sure, but it wouldn’t be the hardest rematch to sell all these years later, not when “Magnum” has cleared out the division. Andrade should be fighting somebody like Amanda Ribas, returning to the win column and extending her — still active! — Strawweight streak. A victory like that would get her back into Top 5 match ups and high-profile rematches, and we could soon be talking about potential title shots after Virna Jandiroba gets her opportunity.
Instead, Andrade is fighting at a handicap against a bigger opponent who might just grind her to the canvas. If she suffers a second consecutive loss, nobody will care that both defeats came at 125 pounds, and her momentum will grind to a halt. If money is the motive rather than legacy, win bonuses are still half her pay.
Ultimately, it’s curious decision-making for the highlight reel machine, who has really damaged her own chances of a second title reign by insisting on sticking around at Flyweight after it’s clear the ship has sailed.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 315 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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