Jessica Andrade books fifth fight of 2023, meets Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295 in New York

Jessica Andrade will look to tie the record for most fights in a year at UFC 295.

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] will look to tie the record for most fights in a year at UFC 295.

Andrade (24-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) takes on [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The event airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.

The matchup was announced during Saturday’s UFC 292 broadcast and later was confirmed by Andrade on social media.

Having already competed four times in 2023, Andrade will tie the UFC record for most fights in a calendar year when she makes the walk against Dern, and will become the only female fighter to do so. But Andrade finds herself in unfamiliar territory. The former UFC strawweight champion has lost three straight for the first time in her career, most recently a submission setback to unbeaten Tatiana Suarez earlier this month in the UFC on ESPN 50 co-main event.

Dern has split her past four appearances. After dropping a five-round majority decision to Yan Xiaonan last October, the jiu-jitsu blackbelt ace rebounded with a Fight of the Night effort against Angela Hill in May – in what was her third career headliner.

With the addition, the UFC 295 lineup currently includes:

  • Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
  • Derek Brunson vs. Roman Dolidze
  • Kevin Borjas vs. Joshua Van
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern

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

UFC on ESPN 50 post-event facts: Cory Sandhagen, Rob Font set dubious record for lack of strikes

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 50, where Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font set a dubious record for strikes landed in a fight.

The UFC made its sixth stop in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 50, which took place at Bridgestone Arena and saw seven of 12 fights on the card end in a decision.

Among those were the main event, where [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) cruised to a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a 140-pound catchweight fight that featured a substantial lack of action.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 50.

UFC on ESPN 50 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jessica Andrade’s $21,000 tops card

UFC on ESPN 50 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 50 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $170,500.

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 on ESPN 50 took place at Bridgestone Arena. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 50 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Asu Almabaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $6,000

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 $50,000 while title challengers get $50,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-50 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,222,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,811,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.

UFC on ESPN 50 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville, Tenn.

UFC on ESPN 50 took place Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

In the main event, Cory Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) took on Rob Font (20-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a key bantamweight fight. In the co-feature, former women’s strawweight champion Jessica Andrade (24-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) meets unbeaten contender Tatiana Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC).

Check out round-by-round updates below.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

Tatiana Suarez def. Jessica Andrade at UFC on ESPN 50: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Tatiana Suarez’s second-round submission win over Jessica Andrade at UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag]’s second-round submission win over [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. (Photos by Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC on ESPN 50 results: Tatiana Suarez stays unbeaten, taps former champ Jessica Andrade

Tatiana Suarez made things look easy against a former champion, and now she likely will be in the conversation as a future champion herself.

[autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag] made things look easy against a former champion, and now she likely will be in the conversation as a future champion, herself.

Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) took out former women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Jessica Andrade [/autotag](24-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) with a second-round guillotine choke. The tap came 91 seconds into the middle frame of the UFC on ESPN 50 co-main event at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Suarez won for the second time since her return from a layoff of nearly four years. She came back in February and submitted Montana De La Rosa with a guillotine choke. But the win over Andrade likely will carry a lot more weight for Suarez’s title aspirations.

About halfway through the first round, Suarez shot for a takedown, and while it wasn’t pretty, it got the job done. Suarez went to work on the former champion from side control and when Andrade got back to her feet with about 100 seconds left in the round, Suarez got a headlock and tried to work for a standing guillotine. On the fence, she threw heavy knees until Andrade finally broke away.

In the second round, though, once Suarez got Andrade to the canvas early, she was all over her until she locked in the choke from her back on the canvas. Soon after, the Brazilian had to tap.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 49 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.

Jessica Andrade sees Rose Namajunas thriving at 125 pounds, expects future trilogy bout

Jessica Andrade weighs in on Rose Namajunas’ decision to move up to 125 pounds.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] is returning to MMA, but she’s doing so by leaving her longtime home at 115 pounds.

After over a year away from fighting, the former UFC women’s strawweight champion is moving up a weight class to compete against top women’s flyweight contender Manon Fiorot on Sept. 2 at UFC on ESPN 53 in Paris. Many are curious to see how Namajunas fares in a heavier division.

The person perhaps most qualified to speculate Namajunas debut at women’s flyweight is former rival [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]. The Brazilian knows Namajunas very well, having fought her twice – winning by KO and losing a decision. She’s also a former strawweight champion and has fought many times at 125 pounds.

“I’m very happy that Rose is returning to fighting because for a while she didn’t want to fight, and she would speak to people saying that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue,” Andrade told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “However, I knew that if she would come back, she wanted to fight at 125 pounds. Someone had told me that she was looking to return, but didn’t want 115 pounds.

“I thought that was good. I think this division will be good for her. She’s very tall and has a long reach. I think it’s a good division for her, and I’m excited for her fights. I want her to win. She’s very strong, very fast, very technical. She also has great movement inside the octagon, and she also has good jiu-jitsu. I think in this weight class she’ll do well.”

Andrade (24-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) returns to the cage this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 50, which takes place Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. She takes on Tatiana Suarez (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in a key women’s strawweight bout.

The 31-year-old, who’s been going back and forth between strawweight and flyweight, told MMA Junkie that she intends to commit to 115 pounds for now, in an effort to reclaim her title. A move back to flyweight is only closed for the immediate future.

Being tied up with Namajunas, Andrade expects for the two to cross paths a third time – maybe at flyweight.

“I think so, I think so, and I think it can be at 125 pounds,” Andrade said regarding a potential trilogy. “If she doesn’t want to return to 115, 125 is good for me too. So I think that’s a very interesting fight between us too.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.

Jessica Andrade putting flyweight on hold to commit to strawweight: ‘It’s the division where I became champion’

Former UFC champion Jessica Andrade says she’s committing to the strawweight division.

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] has been going back and forth between flyweight and strawweight in the past few years, but that’s come to an end.

Andrade has decided to put her flyweight career on hold to focus on getting back the belt she once held at 115 pounds. This campaign to focus on one division starts Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 50, which takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Andrade (24-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) takes on undefeated contender Tatiana Suarez (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in hopes to bounce back from a two-fight skid.

“Now I want to stay in this division,” Andrade told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “It’s the division where I became champion. I think that staying in this division is a good thing. I’m stronger, I’m better. I’m also good in the division above, but I want to just focus on one division because when I’m in two divisions, I’m not well ranked in either. I’m always fourth, fifth, eight, but if I only focus on one, I think I will move to No. 1 once again.

“After I win the title (at strawweight), then I’d want to move to flyweight and fight for a belt there to try to be a two-division UFC champion.”

Andrade fought five times at 125 pounds and went 3-2. Her defeats came against then-champion Valentina Shevchenko in a championship bout and a short-notice fight against then-rising contender Erin Blanchfield.

The Brazilian felt comfortable fighting at flyweight, but she does admit she was giving up advantages that she otherwise wouldn’t have at strawweight.

“When I fight at strawweight, I’m fighting girls that are my same height and size,” Andrade said. “Sometimes you’ll have someone like Tatiana who’s bigger, but it’s very manageable since I fought at 135. I’m used to all this. It’ll be good. This is my weight class.”

As far as the bout against Suarez, Andrade sees it as a good opportunity to get back in the title mix. She knows there’s a risk in taking a skilled contender on short notice, but she also knows there’s a big reward if victorious.

“When they told me about this fight, it was about a month ago,” Andrade said. “Virna (Jandiroba) has a booked fight against Tatiana, but she suffered an injury and had to get surgery. The UFC called me and said, ‘Jessica, you want to fight again?’ and I spoke to my coach and management, and we said, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ It’s a good fight.

“I’m coming off two losses, so I think a win over Tatiana is a strong statement to get back in the mix, and who know, maybe this coming year I’m fighting for the belt. Fighting Tatiana is a very good opportunity.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.

Jessica Andrade: Win over Tatiana Suarez at UFC on ESPN 50 puts me back in title contention

Jessica Andrade is confident a win over Tatiana Suarez puts her back in the title mix.

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] sees a big potential reward from her next fight.

The former UFC strawweight champion returns to the cage Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. She takes on unbeaten contender Tatiana Suarez.

Suarez (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is a tough fight for anyone in the division, but also one that could bring a big reward. Coming off two consecutive losses, Andrade (24-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) thinks a win could put her back in title contention.

“Inside the UFC, I already broke a lot of records and beat some fighters that had never been knocked out before, so I think it would just be one more fight,” Andrade told MMA Junkie through a translator. “I have a lot of experience. A win over Tatiana would be a good thing for my career because this fight could put me close to a title shot soon. I think I would have to do another fight after I win against Tatiana, (but) this puts me a victory away.”

As far as what exactly could that fight be, Andrade isn’t really sure, given the state of the strawweight division. She thinks she’ll have a better idea after the upcoming strawweight title fight between champion Zhang Weili and challenger Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 on Aug. 19.

“It’s a hard question to answer because our division is a little messy,” Andrade said. “If Amanda wins against Weili, Weili will get a rematch. If Weili wins against Amanda, she’ll fight against Yan Xionanan in China, probably. So I don’t know who I will face next, but I’m here to fight, and the UFC will decide, and I will be ready with whatever they put in front.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.

UFC on ESPN 50 pre-event facts: Jessica Andrade first female to 25 octagon appearances

Check out the stats behind UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville, where Jessica Andrade becomes the first female to join UFC’s 25-fight club.

The UFC returns to Nashville, Tenn., for the sixth time in company history on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 50, which takes place at Bridgestone Arena with a card that airs entirely on ESPN.

Two bantamweight contenders will meet in a 140-pound catchweight main event when [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) takes on replacement opponent [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC), who stepped in for the injury Umar Nurmagomedov.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC on ESPN 50.

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