Former UFC women’s strawweight champion and ex-flyweight title challenger Jessica Andrade threw down with another former 125lb title challenger, “Lucky” Lauren Murphy, on the UFC 283 PPV card Saturday night.
Andrade was the heavy favorite in the flyweight fight in Rio, and early on, things played out pretty much as expected.
By the end, the beatdown was hard to watch.
The Brazilian started strong on Saturday, forcing Murphy to the outside. “Lucky” circled, but Andrade found success with her kicks, both a low kick, and front switch kick. A left hand clipped Murphy on the way in, connecting flush with her chin. While she was able to hold it together, Andrade continued chopping away at her lead leg.
Murphy, meanwhile, showed a questionable level change, and was nowhere near landing a takedown.
Past the midway mark of the round, another connection by Andrade saw her close th distance swinging. This time, a desperation takedown paid off for Murphy, but Andade was immediately back up. Back on the feet, another Andrade leg kick hit home. Andade was landing almost at will now, with Murphy in a constant state of retreat. In the final minute, Andade’s right hand connected. Then another combo. A leg kick. Murphy wouldn’t go down, but she was badly outgunned. A late takedown attempt, again, saw Murphy get Andrade to her knees, only to fail to keep the Brazilian there.
Round two saw a battered Murphy remain under fire. When Andrade pressed forward, Murphy’s night went south rather quickly. At best, the American was showing her grit, but her offensive output, little that there was, didn’t seem to have any effect, and her takedowns simply weren’t there for her. Andrade, meanwhile, fired an uppercut, then pressed the action with a combo just as the midway point of the round arrived. A few moments later, another right hand connected, snapping Murphy’s head to the side. Murphy would try a level change, only for Andrade to defend with a guillotine. When they did hit the mat, it was Andrade in control, sprawling and threatening to take the back.
Back on the feet, Andrade continued to pull away. A finally flurry at the end of the round got the fans on their feet, but there was still a round to go.
If Lauren Murphy had any hope of winning the fight, a finish would be necessary. In a fight so one-sided, that felt unlikely. Yet Murphy continued to press forward at points, firing her hands and looking for an opening even while taking considerable damage. Another takedown attempt saw Murphy again unable to keep Andrade down; Andrade turned up the heat moments later, with the ref taking a good long look at Murphy, perhaps considering putting a stop to the fight. Instead, he allowed the affair to carry on. Murphy made it to the final bell out of sheer grit, but Andrade was the clear winner.
Official Result: Jessica Andrade def. Lauren Murphy by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
