12. Jessica Andrade vs Marina Rodriguez
In either woman’s prime this would have been a great striking bout, but the legendary violence of Andrade has diminished as she has aged. Jessica cannot take a shot like she used to after a career filled with wars, as seen by being finished in back-to-back-to-back fights last year. She did end the year by TKO’ing MacKenzie Dern, but Dern is a frankly woeful striker, especially since leaving Jason Parillo. Andrade’s opponent, fellow Brazilian striker Marina Rodriguez, came into the UFC late and is now 36 years old. A few years back she was one of the hottest rising prospects, but her rote striking did not do enough to really hurt foes on her level, with her only finish since 2020 being against an old Michelle Waterson-Gomez last year.
Andrade always brings a high pace to fights, but most realize that she is not the fighter she once was, and the likely striking-centric affair she will have against Marina does not truly excite on paper. It will not be bad and is a fairly relevant contender fight – either one may even get a title shot with a win in a division lacking contenders at present – but on paper the blood and guts wars or Andrade’s past are behind her, and Rodriguez fights rarely get above a steamy simmer in terms of action. On an average card this fight would be rated much higher, but with the insane grading curve of UFC 300, it is no more than a decent fight.
Fight Rating: 5/10
