Jessica Andrade has a plan to dethrone Rose Namajunas at UFC 237. The Brazilian powerhouse will meet “Thug” on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 11th. Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, Andrade revealed she plans to tire Namajunas out before imposing her will on the 26-year-old champion:
“Rose has a great striking,” Andrade said. “We can see her improvement, especially in her fights against Joanna. She’s fast, has a bigger reach and is taller than me. The strategy is to back her up (against the cage), and every time she’s put against the cage she comes back more tired in the next round.”
“I believe that the strategy is get her tired and then impose our game and everything will be alright,” she continued. “It’s easy (for her) to fight Joanna, who connects and then runs, but it’s a bit more complicated to fight a tractor that will put pressure the entire time.”
Andrade earned her title opportunity with three-straight wins. She defeated the likes of Cláudia Gadelha, Tecia Torres, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. The Brazilian hasn’t tasted defeat since her failed title bid against former division champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Jędrzejczyk defeated Andrade via unanimous decision at UFC 211 back in May of 2017.
Namajunas comes off back-to-back wins over Jędrzejczyk. She dethroned “JJ” back at UFC 217 in November of 2017 with a stunning first-round knockout. She followed it up a few months later with a unanimous decision title defense. Now, she’ll face a stiff test in her next defense against Andrade.
Do you think Andrade will become the fourth-ever UFC women’s strawweight champ at UFC 237?
