Former champion Jéssica Andrade is looking to regain her strawweight belt after her next win.
Whenever there is a new champion crowned in the UFC, the possibilities for title shots become more open in that division. Now that Zhang Weili has defeated Carla Esparza at UFC 281, the top fighters in the strawweight division are all within reach of a title shot. There are some fighters that are more likely to get that shot than others, and now one fighter whose next bout is in the flyweight division is calling for a shot.
Jéssica Andrade has held the UFC strawweight belt at one time. She defeated Rose Namajunas to become the champion of the 115-pound division back in 2019 before losing the belt to Weili. Now that Weili has the strap once again, Andrade is looking for a little payback.
Jessica Andrade Is Calling For A Title Shot If She Defeats Lauren Murphy At UFC 283
Andrade has fought in every female division in the UFC except featherweight. She began her career in the UFC at bantamweight but quickly shifted to strawweight when that division was introduced.
As of late, she has moved between 115 and 125 pounds seamlessly. Her last win was over strawweight contender Amanda Lemos, and her next bout is against flyweight contender Lauren Murphy.
“With Weili’s victory against Carla, I’m sure my next fight after Lauren [Murphy] will be at Strawweight because it’s an option to fight at Strawweight again,” Andrade told MMA Mania. “I need this fight, I need this rematch. Strawweight is my division. For now, my focus is 100 percent on Lauren Murphy then I will be back to strawweight, and I’ll fix my division and take my belt again.”
The bouncing between divisions could make it difficult to make a case for a title in either, but with her history and skills, she could be able to jump right into a rematch with Weili. Andrade is currently ranked fourth in the strawweight division. Only Namajunas, Lemos, and Esparza sit in front of her, and of them, only Lemos might likely be next for a title shot.
Do you think Jéssica Andrade should earn a title shot in strawweight with a win in flyweight?