Jessica Fernanda da Costa Andrade is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Flyweight division of the UFC and is a former champion in the Strawweight division. As of May 1, 2023, she is ranked as the No.4 strawweight, No.5 flyweight, and No.8 pound-for-pound female fighter in the UFC.
Jessica Andrade lost her fight against Yan Xiaonan on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo.
Jessica Andrade was born on September 25, 1991, in Umuarama, Paraná, Brazil. She grew up in a small town called Londrina and began training in mixed martial arts at the age of 18. She started her professional career in 2011 and quickly made a name for herself by competing in various regional promotions in Brazil. Her hard work and dedication paid off as she won several titles and earned a reputation as one of the best female fighters in Brazil.
Andrade began her professional mixed martial arts career on September 6, 2011. At first, she trained at Gracie Humaita in Umuarama and won eight of her first ten fights. However, after defeating Duda Yankovich, she moved to Niterói to train at Paraná Vale Tudo. Her first fight abroad was on April 14, 2013, where she defeated Milana Dudieva at ProFC 47: Russia vs. Europe in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
Jessica Andrade's career in the UFC began in 2013 when she signed with the promotion and made her debut at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga. She fought against Liz Carmouche and lost the fight via TKO. Despite the loss, Andrade's aggressive style and toughness impressed the fans and the UFC brass.
Andrade then went on a three-fight winning streak, defeating opponents such as Rosi Sexton, Raquel Pennington, and Larissa Pacheco.
Andrade made her strawweight division debut at UFC 199 against Jessica Penne. She won the bout via TKO and went on a three-fight winning strea,k defeating Angela Hill and Joanne Calderwood, for which she earned Fight Of The Night and Performance Of The Night, respectively. Her impressive performances earned her a shot at the UFC women's strawweight championship against Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
At UFC 211 in 2017, Andrade challenged Jędrzejczyk for the Strawweight title, but she lost the fight via unanimous decision. However, Andrade didn't give up and continued to fight,t and in 2019, she again fought for the Strawweight title at UFC 237 against Rose Namajuna,s and this time,e she won the fight via KO in the second round, becoming the new UFC women's strawweight champion.
In her next fight, Andrade switched divisions again and made her debut in the Flyweight category against Katlyn Chookagian, whom she defeated via TKO in the first round.
Andrade then faced off against Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC women's flyweight championship. Shevchenko emerged victorious via TKO in the 2nd round.
After a victory against Cynthia Calvillo, Andrade made her return to the strawweight division to fight Amanda Lemos. Andrade won the fight via submission.
Jessica Andrade holds a respectable record of 15 wins and 7 losses in the UFCs.
Andrade defeated Lauren Murphy via a unanimous decision at UFC 283 on January 21, 2023.
Andrade faced Erin Blanchfield at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield on February 18, 2023.
Jessica Andrade fought Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 211 on May 13, 2017. The fight was for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. Andrade entered the fight as a heavy underdog, with Jędrzejczyk being a heavily favored and dominant champion. However, Andrade surprised many by coming out aggressively and using her grappling and striking to control the pace of the fight. But the pressure from the champion was too much for Andrade to handle, and ultimately Jędrzejczyk was declared the winner via unanimous decision.
Andrade's next notable fight was against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 261 on April 24, 2021, for the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship. Shevchenko was considered one of the best female fighters in the world and was heavily favored to win the fight. Andrade, who moved up to the flyweight division for this fight, put up a strong performance in the first round, but Shevchenko's striking and grappling proved to be too much for her. Shevchenko was able to take Andrade down and control her on the ground for the majority of the fight, eventually winning by TKO in the second round.
Last updated on May 7, 2023.
