Tag: Jessica Andrade

Jessica Andrade anticipates multiple rematches on journey to regain UFC strawweight title

Former UFC champ Jessica Andrade believes her journey back to the title will include multiple rematches against former opponents.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] expects to share the octagon with a few familiar opponents in 2024.

Former UFC strawweight champion Andrade (25-12 MMA, 16-10 UFC) capped off a busy, yet tumultuous 2023 with a return to the win column. At UFC 295, Andrade viciously stopped Mackenzie Dern (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) with strikes in the second round to pick up her second win of the year, while also ending a three-fight skid.

In her personal life, Andrade has been dealing with a divorce that has caused financial strain. It is also the reason she made five walks to the UFC’s octagon this year.

In January, she won a unanimous decision against Lauren Murphy, but then lost her next three to Erin Blanchfield, Yan Xiaonan and Tatiana Suarez. However, she will enter 2024 on a high note after UFC 295, ready to forge a path back to the title, and expects to have the opportunity to avenge previous losses.

“The rematches are what will take me through the path of being champion again,” Andrade told reporters through an interpreter during a post-fight news conference. “I know that in order to actually be a champion, to be able to fight for the belt toward the end of the year next year, I’m going to have to have some rematches and beat some girls that beat me. I do feel that’s going to be the way.”

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Since winning the strawweight title by defeating Rose Namajunas in 2019, Andrade has struggled, putting together a record of 5-6 as she bounced between the 115 and 125-pound divisions. One of the more frustrating results during that stretch for Andrade was her first attempt to defend the title, which resulted in a 42-second loss to Zhang Weili.

“I think obviously having the opportunity to fight Weili because that was kind of a quick fight, it was kind of taken quickly, so I think I deserve another chance,” Andrade said. “It would be really cool if Joanna (Jedrzejczyk) comes back. That would be really interesting.”

Andrade has consistently fought the best competition available, and if she is to fight for the title again, it is very likely that she will have to run it back with a few names that put losses on her record. Regardless of who may be on her path in 2024, she hopes it includes a booking at the promotion’s upcoming milestone pay-per-view.

“Something that I really want for next year is to actually be able to fight on UFC 300,” Andrade said. “It’s something that’s going to be historic, and I would love to be a part of it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 post-event facts: Alex Pereira joins exclusive two-title club in record time

The best facts from UFC 295, which saw Alex Pereira join the two-division title club in less fights than the eight names before him.

The UFC’s penultimate numbered event of the year, UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden in New York, proved to be arguably the best of the bunch.

Two new champions were crowned to close out a lineup that saw eight stoppages in 13 fights. In the main event, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) picked up the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), while [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) claimed the interim heavyweight strap in the co-main event with a 69-second knockout of [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 295.

UFC 295 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Title fight athletes net $32,000 each

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

NEW YORK – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 295 took place at Madison Square Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 295 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,305,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,824,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 295 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event at Madison Square Garden in New York.

NEW YORK – UFC 295 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Madison Square Garden in New York.

You can hear from all the UFC 295 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jessica Andrade def. Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jessica Andrade’s second-round TKO win over Jessica Andrade at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]’s second-round TKO win over [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos by Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 295 results: Jessica Andrade TKOs Mackenzie Dern with walkoff in wild affair

Mackenzie Dern hit the canvas several times including a near faceplant before her UFC 295 fight vs. Jessica Andrade was called off.

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] isn’t done yet.

At UFC 295, Andrade (25-12 MMA, 16-10 UFC) snapped a three-fight skid when she dropped [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) several times before a walkoff TKO at the 3:15 mark of Round 2. The strawweight bout was part of the main card at Madison Square Garden.

A competitive first round was secured when Andrade dropped Dern in the final seconds. Dern appeared to be hurt, but the bell sounded mid-flurry.

In Round 2, Andrade pressed down on the pedal as she pursued and dropped Dern on multiple occasions. Dern hit the canvas awkwardly each time, though never went completely out. Things got a bit wild when Dern decided to charge forward with defenseless offense and found some success, though it was short lived.

After a near-walkoff knockout sequence in which Dern fell forward, Andrade got what she was looking for with a left hook and straight right combination.

After the fight, Andrade spoke on the importance of the victory for her career – as well as helping pay costs from a recent divorce. The defeat moved Dern to 3-3 in her most recent six outings, alternating wins and losses.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 295 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jessica Andrade finds motivation in three-fight skid ahead of return at UFC 295

Jessica Andrade isn’t letting her three-fight skid get her down ahead of Saturday’s UFC 295.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] is facing her worst career stretch, but she’s not letting that get her.

The former UFC strawweight champion is on a three-fight losing streak entering Saturday’s matchup against Mackenzie Dern on the main card of UFC 295, which goes down at Madison Square Garden.

Andrade (24-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) was finished by her last three opponents, as she got submitted by both Erin Blanchfield and Tatiana Suarez, and knocked out by Yan Xiaonan.

Although the landscape might look grim for Andrade, she’s using the three-fight skid as motivation.

“I think there is a lot of pressure,” Andrade said through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC 295 media day. “Actually, more pressure on myself to turn things around and to have a different outcome. You obviously feel the pressure to have a different outcome going forward.

“I think for me, I’ve seen so many things throughout my career in the UFC that to me, it’s more motivation to get back in the win column, motivation to have a comeback, motivation to keep my place in there. So for me, it’s more motivation than pressure.”

In terms of the fight itself, Andrade is happy to have been matched up against Dern (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC). She believes their skills promise an action fight.

“I think it’s a great fight as far as matchmaking goes,” Andrade said. “I think it’s a fight that should’ve happened in the past, but it’s finally happening. As far as style, she’s definitely got an edge in the jiu-jitsu and her ground game, but as far as stand up game, she’s gotten better in striking, but I don’t think she’s at my level. I’m at a very high level of striking. I got that style against her, so I think stylistically this is a really good matchup.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Video: UFC 295 media day interviews

Before UFC 295 on Saturday, hear from the main card fighters at media day in New York.

NEW YORK – The UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card and preliminary spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

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If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 pre-event facts: Alex Pereira’s two-division title bid comes with historic twist

Check out the facts behind UFC 295, where Alex Pereira can join the two-division titleholder club in a way that differs from everyone else.

The UFC makes its annual stop in New York on Saturday with UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden with a pair of title fights that top the pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

In the main event, [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will return to competition from a significant injury to face [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight belt. The co-headliner will see [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) clash with [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in an interim heavyweight championship contest.

For more on the numbers behind the title-fight doubleheader, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 295.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 14-20)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 14-20.