“I stayed at home resting, doing physical therapy, and before the surgery, I spent three months on the shelf, not training, not being able to move properly, just doing the PT to see if it would help,” Andrade said. “I had no choice other than to go on with the surgery. I had it and now I’m super recovered, going back to training, strong and ready for this fight that is coming up.”
Throughout her career, Andrade suffered lower body pain during training camps but endured as long as she could to continue to fight as frequently as she desired. With her recent surgery, not only has her back pain significantly reduced, but so has the on and off, nagging injuries that persisted over years.
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“With the professionals here [at the UFC Performance Institute], with Heather (Linden), with the nutritionists, my life really turned from water to wine,” Andrade said. “Today I train, and I feel stronger, I have more energy, I have more in the gas tank. People say that I already had a good gas tank before, so now it’s even better. I believe that I am really back now. A new Jessica, ready for whatever comes. And [I’m] really, really strong. Really strong. Even stronger. I’m going to kick people out of the Octagon.”
Andrade’s new and improved power will be on full display when she returns to the flyweight division at UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill against former title challenger Lauren Murphy. Falling short against Shevchenko, Murphy bounced back with a unanimous decision victory over former champion Miesha Tate in July.