For Jessica
Andrade, UFC 283 will be a welcome, yet
strange homecoming.
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The 31-year-old, who faces Lauren
Murphy in a high-stakes flyweight tilt on Saturday at Jeunesse
Arena in Rio de Janeiro, will be competing in her native country
for the first time since May 11, 2019, when she wrested the
Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight
title from Rose
Namajunas at UFC 237. Separated from that glorious night by six
fights, nearly four years and a change in weight class, Andrade
finds herself at, not merely a career crossroads but a four-way
intersection. As “Bate Estaca” prepares to face Murphy, she spoke
to Sherdog about her training, her long road back from injury, the
nagging desire for a measure of strawweight revenge and the
prospect of fighting without her longtime head coach in her corner
for the first time in years.
First and foremost, Andrade is clearly pleased to be back fighting
in Brazil. “I’m very happy to be able to fight at home,” she said.
“Lauren Murphy is a very tough opponent. She already fought for the
belt and she’s coming off a win. That’s very important. I also
think this is a good match for my fighting style – striking,
takedowns, and takedown defense. I believe it’s good matchmaking at
the right time, especially since I’m coming back from herniated
disc surgery. This will be at one weight class above what I’ve been
fighting. I’m very happy. I know she’s bigger and has a longer
reach. That doesn’t make much of a difference. I know I’m one of
the shortest UFC fighters. I always fight bigger opponents. I’ll
look to use the best possible strategy against her. I want to
impose my striking game. But if we need to hit the mat, I know I
also have a very good technical level on the ground. It’s another
day in the Octagon. The main difference is that I’ll be home with
my people. That makes a big difference.”
Andrade, who has spent her entire career as a member of
southeastern Brazil powerhouse Parana Vale Tudo, relocated her
camp to Las Vegas in recent months, availing herself of the UFC
Performance Institute and the wealth of options in the promotional
hometown, while keeping her accustomed cadre of training partners
in place.
“Training in Las Vegas has been wonderful,” Andrade said. “Whoever
trains here can fight anywhere in the world. The elevation and the
air are very different. I have full technical and psychological
support from the UFC Performance Institute. It’s made a big
difference. I’ve been hitting pads with Bruno
‘Paranazinho’ Ribeiro. The MMA sessions are with my team – head
coach Gilliard
‘Parana,’ Karol Rosa,
Denise
Gomes, Mariana
Morais and Maria
Oliveira. To be training inside the UFC – that’s on another
level. They also help us with our nutrition. When I get ready here,
I feel the readiest. I’m going into this fight with very little
stress. My master and the girls I train with are always nearby.
That’s very important to me.”
Now in her 30s, Andrade is one of the most accomplished women in
UFC history, with a strawweight championship and a flyweight title
shot already on her ledger. Despite those achievements, however,
she maintains she is nowhere near contemplating the end of her
career, and one of the motivations pushing her forward is evening
up the score with a particular rival. “Prior to my last win, some
folks were already calling for my retirement,” she said. “I’ll keep
going as long as my body allows for it. If I get to the point where
I can no longer make weight, train well, and feel strong, then it
will be time to step [away]. I believe I have another 10 years
ahead of me. If I beat Murphy, I could get a shot at the flyweight
belt. Actually, my preference is to go back to strawweight and seek
revenge against Weili
Zhang. My goal for 2023 is to be champion again and to keep the
belt.”
One unexpected benefit of being in Las Vegas surfaced when a
nagging lower back injury ended up needing surgical intervention.
While it resulted in Andrade fighting just once in 2022, she
considers the proximity to top-level, MMA-oriented medical care a
blessing. “This fight should have already happened,” she said. “But
I had a problem with a herniated disc, between the L4 and L5
vertebrae. It required surgery. Some days, I could barely walk. On
other days, I was bedridden from the pain. I was spending 24 hours
a day on painkillers. After some physical therapy at the UFC PI, it
was clear that surgery was my only option. It kept me from fighting
for some time. My expectation is to beat Lauren
Murphy. But if I can’t fight for the 125-pound title, then I’d
like to go back to 115 pounds and ask for a rematch against the
current champion. When you go back and forth between weight
classes, it’s hard to find a place in the rankings. And, of course,
the UFC knows that I’m available to fight at any weight class, as a
replacement. But my main wish is to go back to 115 pounds and
become champion again.”
In an ironic twist, Andrade’s return to Brazil will require a step
outside her comfort zone on fight night, as the PRVT head coach
will be absent from her corner. “This will be the first time I’ll
fighting without master ‘Parana’ at my side,” she said. “My corners
will be Mariana, ‘Paranazinho’ and Marquinhos [conditioning coach
Marcos Menezes]. They’re very special in my life. They’re always a
big help. Unfortunately, my master won’t be with us as he’s working
on his visa. I’m sure he’ll be rooting from home, and he’ll
probably be on the phone with Bruno between rounds, giving
instructions. I’m confident we’ll have a great fight and I’ll be
able to honor my team and my country. Everything is going to work
out.”
Distractions notwithstanding, Andrade’s attention is focused on the
task in front of her, and she looks forward to feeding off of the
energy of a partisan throng at Jeunesse Arena. “To fight at home is
always great,” she said. “The local crowd always helps. The last
time I fought in Brazil, I won and captured the UFC [strawweight]
belt. Fighting in Brazil, in front of my people, sure makes a
difference. The excitement and hunger to win increase when you
fight at home. That energy is what I’ll try to capture again. Some
people say fighting at home is more pressure. It’s only more
pressure if you let it get to you. Considering all the things I’ve
gotten used to, that type of experience is priceless. I may be
living in Vegas, but I’m not truly at home here, as I don’t always
understand what people are saying. I’m confident I’ll capture
another victory, and I’ll be ready for the next one.”