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#2. Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade
Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade has become a top contender in both the strawweight and flyweight divisions. After losing her rematch to former champion Rose Namajunas, she moved up to 125 lbs and immediately made a statement. She earned a first-round TKO win over Katlyn Chookagian and then challenged Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight championship.
Andrade came up short against Shevchenko, but remained at 125 lbs for another bout. She made quick work of Cynthia Calvillo and then returned to strawweight last month. The former strawweight champion looked incredible as she defeated Amanda Lemos via first-round submission with a standing arm-triangle.
The submission win earned Andrade a Performance of the Night bonus and put her back in the title picture. What makes her such an intriguing challenger is that she hasn’t fought Esparza before. It’s hard to believe their paths haven’t crossed, but that could help the former champion’s chances of earning a title shot.
#1. The winner of Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili
Fortunately for Esparza, she won’t have to wait long to find out who the next challenger for the UFC strawweight championship will be. Following this past weekend’s event, Dana White seemingly confirmed that the winner of Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili will earn the next title shot.
The bout will be a rematch between the two former champions and is a highly anticipated bout. Their first fight in 2020 saw Weili retain the strawweight championship. It was a back-and-forth bout that could have gone either way.
‘Cookie Monster’ could be in a position where history repeats itself. Her first reign began after defeating Rose Namujunas and ended in her first title defense against Jedrzejczyk. She could possibly be hoping that ‘The Boogeywoman’ wins, so she could have an opportunity to avenge the loss.
