Jessica Andrade learned of her true calling pretty quickly.
A highly skilled table tennis player and aspiring soccer player, Andrade knew she was an athlete from a young age. Despite having goals of competing in soccer, “Bate Estaca” had some roadblocks. She knew she had to make a transition.
Andrade explained the difficulties she ran into (via MMAFighting.com):
“It’s hard to have a good career in soccer, especially women’s soccer. I didn’t make any money in soccer, only spent money. I had offers to play in Sao Paulo, but my mother didn’t let me go.”
It didn’t take long for Andrade to make a change and she explained her early beginnings when it comes to mixed martial arts.
“I worked at a high and pay lake and only had Friday’s off, so I played anything I could. I had the opportunity to take a judo class once, and I’ve never done that before — except fighting and beating up my brother at home. I decided to stay for the class and I defeated every boy there, so the teacher asked me if I wanted to stay and train more.”
