“The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson was impressed by what Jessica Andrade did on Saturday night at UFC 237 and she hopes to be next to get a shot at the new champion.
Andrade survived a rough opening round against former champion Rose Namajunas to storm back in the second with a monstrous slam that brought an end to the fight.
A similar sequence happened in the first round when Andrade found a way inside to look for a takedown and then lifted Namajunas up over her head and brought her crashing back down to the canvas. The first attempted backfired as Namajunas held onto a kimura attempt before immediately transitioning to an armbar on the ground that got her out of a bad position.
The second time, Namajunas again held onto the kimura but Andrade made an adjustment and dropped her directly on her head resulting in an immediate knockout.
Now that Andrade is champion there’s a long list of fighters lining up to get the first crack at the title but Waterson hopes she’s the one who gets the opportunity.
“Main event brought the heat,” Waterson said via the UFC on Saturday night from Brazil. “I thought Rose was doing amazing. Andrade showed tons of heart, came back, did that freaking Andrade slam I was talking about and took it home. I’m glad Rose is OK, congratulations Andrade.
“Hopefully, it’s me and you next.”
Waterson was in attendance for the fights on Saturday night, which led many to believe that she was being positioned as a potential challenge for the winner of the main event.
Of course, Waterson isn’t alone in her request for the next title shot.
Former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who holds a lopsided win over Andrade, was quick to make her presence felt in the aftermath of UFC 237. There is also a potential No. 1 contender’s bout scheduled for UFC 238 when Tatiana Suarez faces Nina Ansaroff.
It’s also possible Namajunas pushes for an automatic rematch considering she was winning the fight up until the slam that knocked her out. Immediately after the fight, Namajunas questioned her future in the sport but didn’t make any decisions regarding what comes next following the loss.
There are obviously a lot of potential options as Andrade celebrates her championship victory and now she awaits the first challenger attempting to take her title.
