Former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade is returning to the weight class this weekend at UFC Vegas 52, after a stint at flyweight that saw her go all the way to a title fight with Valentina Shevchenko.
Andrade (22-9) bounced back from her loss to Shevchenko with a win over Cynthia Calvillo last September, also at 125 pounds. Now, it’s back to 115 — which the Brazilian feels is her optimum weight. It also offers her a path back to gold, though Andrade doesn’t feel the road at 115 is any easier than 125 in that regard.
“I wouldn’t say it would be quicker at strawweight, because I was already number one in flyweight, and it’s [115] a much tougher division overall. I think the level of competition at strawweight is quite ahead of the flyweight division,” Andrade told reporters at this week’s UFC Vegas 52 media day. “But at the end of the day, I’m a strawweight. I’m gonna perform my best at strawweight. I can do well at flyweight, I can probably do pretty well still at bantam[weight], but strawweight is my optimum weight.”
Admittedly, her exit from the 115 pound division in 2020 came after some bumps in the road. “I had a couple of problems my last two fights at strawweight, I had a traumatic weight cut. Things didn’t really go well, and my mental state for the weight cuts was just not there anymore,” admitted Andrade. “So I asked to take some time off, talked to coach, said ‘okay maybe we can take a little break. Do something else at flyweight, I think I can do okay there.’ And it went way better than we ever expected.”
Despite quickly ascending to a title fight and going 2-1 in her three fight stint at flyweight, Andrade is coming home. A big part of that is her move to Las Vegas.
“Now, with the support of the PI [UFC Performance Institute], living here in Vegas, things are completely different. This weight cut is probably the best that I’ve ever had, even better than the first one, which is the one that I focused the most. This one is easily the best one, the smoothest one, thanks to the PI, thanks to Dan [Marquette] who has been working hand and hand with [me] throughout the entire process.”
Without Marquette, Andrade said she wouldn’t be as happy as she is this week. We’ll know soon enough, meanwhile, if the move back down has paid off.
Watch the full UFC Vegas 52 media day scrum with Jessica Andrade above. More coverage from the event can be found below.
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Amanda Lemos
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Jessica Andrade
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Clay Guida
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Charles Jourdain
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Montana De La Rsoa
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Maycee Barber
