UFC 300
Athletes
Need Fireworks? Call Jéssica Andrade
Including The Record-Holder On UFC 300 Was A No-Brainer As She Looks To Start Another Title Run
When the lights go down in T-Mobile Arena on April 13 and her walkout music begins to play, something will happen that is almost as rare as this past Monday’s eclipse: Jéssica Andrade will be fighting on the prelims.
“Eight years,” she confirmed with UFC.com. “Not even my first fight in the UFC was on the prelims. I fought against Liz Carmouche on the main card. And then I fought three times on the prelims and never since. For the first time, I'm gonna fight and go home to watch the other fights.”
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She’s not complaining, either. It’s a testament to the strength of the UFC 300 card that the former champion is relegated to one of the warmup acts.
“All of the card is a main card,” she smiles. “From start to finish.”
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Making a full slate of fights of that caliber—assembling 13 bouts of such elite talent onto one card—could not have been easy. But at least one part of the equation was a simple one for the UFC brass: picking up the phone and calling Jéssica Andrade.
A winner across three weight classes since joining the UFC in 2013, she’s taken up permanent residency in the record books across any number of impressive categories. But the one that likely made it a no-brainer for the matchmakers is her record 10 post-fight bonuses. That’s more than any of her female peers, and the only woman in the top ten all-time.
Bonus Résumé | Jessica Andrade
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Bonus Résumé | Jessica Andrade
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All of those performances were deserving works of art. There were the vicious knockouts of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Katlyn Cerminara, Mackenzie Dern and Rose Namajunas, the latter a slam KO that captured the strawweight title. There were the Fight of the Night honors vs Namajunas (twice), Angela Hill and Claudia Gadelha. And there was one of the most memorable submissions in the company’s history: a standing arm triangle of Amanda Lemos in 2022. There were other wins that didn’t get official bonuses, but, by and large, they were all memorable.
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She accomplished all this with the competitive disadvantage of a 5’1 ½” frame that continues to defy the imagination of audiences time and time again. And while her high-risk, high reward striking style can occasionally find her on the wrong side of the win column, her level of competition has consistently been the crème de la crème of women’s MMA for over a decade.
That part won’t change this Saturday when she meets her fellow Brazilian Marina Rodriguez on the prelim card of the historic UFC 300 event. Since winning a UFC contract on the Brazilian incarnation of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, Rodriguez has continued to rise on the strength of a fan-friendly Muay Thai style and, like Andrade, hovers as a consistent threat in both strawweight and flyweight. They share the same management and have an acute knowledge of each other.
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“I've trained with Marina. We are already familiar with each other's game. It has been some time, but it doesn't change so much. I know Marina is ready for my game, I'm ready for her style, as well.
“She knows my hands are heavy, I know her kicks are heavy. The movement…I'm sure she is ready to defend my takedowns, to keep distance, to work on her range, I know she wants to fight outside, to kick my head because I'm short…but I'm ready for everything.”
Full Fight | Jéssica Andrade vs Claudia Gadelha
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Full Fight | Jéssica Andrade vs Claudia Gadelha
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Her aforementioned height is deceptive, and her opponents have often fallen into the trap of thinking their size differences offer an edge. Andrade is always happy to point out that her 25 pro wins all came against foes taller than her.
“I like to say that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. It's easier for me, because when I fight inside, my strikes are stronger. And it's hard for my opponents because they need space to hit hard. At close range, they don't have space.”
As ever, Andrade will be eyeing the knockout if she can keep the range close. She owns the strawweight record for finishes (6) and knockouts (4), but she’s open to expanding her repertoire.
“If I don't knock her out, maybe a submission or ground-and-pound. There are many ways to win, I've already visualized it. But winning is the most important.”
Andrade has called Las Vegas home the last few years, so she isn’t kidding when she says she’ll go home to finish watching the remaining UFC 300 action. And the one bout she’ll have a keen eye on is the women’s strawweight title co-main between Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan.
“I know it's going to be a great fight for Weili, I believe she's going to win,” she says of the champion who won the belt from her in 2019. “Her jiu-jitsu is great and she is always improving. And she knows how to use strategy. But Yan Xiaonan has a heavy punch, you know? I've taken some of her punches, so I can say, she surprised me with her power.”
Either way, Andrade will be taking notes and plotting her next move. At only 32 years of age and still packing power many of her peers won’t match in a lifetime, anything is in the cards for the future of “Bate Estaca.”
“Our division has a very good roster. The belt is always changing hands, and I want to have the chance to be two-time champion. Rose is a two-time champion, Carla Esparza and Weili, too. I'm the only one out of this group (to not be)! I want to be part of this.”
UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
