Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.
Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.
This week, former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade moves to a new home, and Jonathan Martinez looks to bounce back from a weight cut gone wrong.
Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (20-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC)
Strawweight (115lbs): 8-4 (UFC), Former UFC Strawweight Champion
Flyweight (125lbs): Making UFC Debut on October 17
Bantamweight (135lbs): 4-3 (UFC)
Jessica Andrade made her debut in the UFC way back in July of 2013. At just 5’1″ and with a 61″ reach, Andrade fought in the bantamweight division for about two years, competing in seven fights and amassing a 4-3 record. Andrade decided to move down in weight in 2016, to the strawweight division. Jessica immediately found success at 115lbs, where her power was so much more pronounced and her size wasn’t such a disadvantage.
Andrade looked dominant at strawweight, earning a shot against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. After coming up short, she went on to rattle off a four fight win streak that ended with her second-round slam KO over Rose Namajunas in May of 2019, to win the UFC strawweight belt. Unfortunately, Andrade was quickly and soundly defeated in her next bout against Weili Zhang and lost the title, with many speculating that Andrade had struggled to cut weight so far away from home while in China. After losing again to “Thug Rose” in her last fight, Andrade will make the move up to flyweight, a weight class that could very well be a good fit for her.
Your #UFC237 main event is set: Champ @RoseNamajunas looks to defend her strawweight title against Jessica Andrade (@jessicammapro). Check out both fighters hitting the scale this morning in Brazil.
Full weigh-in results: https://t.co/8zOEsIPFZe pic.twitter.com/qipKjgK4gR
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) May 10, 2019
