Former UFC Women’s Champ Looks To Shine In Return To Strawweight
Former UFC women’s champ Jessica Andrade is no stranger to challenges. The 33-year-old’s career has been defined by her power and fearless attitude inside the Octagon. Now she has booked a fight against a rising contender, Loopy Godinez, at UFC 319 that will take place on August 16 in Chicago.
The announcement was made by the UFC officials earlier this month. The bout will be Andrade’s first fight after returning to the 115-pound division, where she once won the gold before moving to the flyweight division. This fight will also be her defining moment towards a comeback after a turbulent few years for the Brazilian veteran.
Back To Familiar Grounds
Jessica Andrade had previously been fairly successful when she used to compete in the strawweight division back in 2023. While she didn’t have a perfect run, her most notable achievement was winning a title fight against Rose Namajunas at UFC 237 in 2019. The match ended with a knockout victory, which came by a powerful slam in the second round.
She could not retain her championship title for long, however, as she went on to be defeated in the very next fight against a much stronger Zhang Weili, who is also the current champion of the strawweight division. Weili turned out to be too overwhelming for her, as Andrade lost the match in a unanimous decision. After that loss, she has struggled over the past few years to find her form.
Andrade currently holds a 26-14 MMA record and a 16-10 UFC record, clearly showing the Brazilian’s inconsistency throughout her career. Her move to the flyweight category wasn’t as successful as she would have wanted.
Her recent results consist of four losses in her last six appearances. After this disappointing performance, Andrade will be looking to regain weight and reset her career to reclaim the name she made for herself as one of the most feared fighters in women’s UFC.
Facing Loopy Godinez
In her first fight returning to the strawweight division, Andrade will be up against one of the emerging names on the scene, Loopy Godinez (13-3). Godinez will be heading into this matchup with a five-fight win streak, a very tough challenge for Andrade to overcome in her first outing after her return.
Godinez’s most recent victory came against Julia Polastri in a unanimous decision from the judges. With such strong recent performance, she has now become one of the most active and durable fighters in the division. Godinez will be looking to extend her winning streak to carry her confidence in what she is known best for: her striking and takedowns.
Impact On The Division
The strawweight division has had several contenders for the title in recent times. Zhang Weili is the current champion of the division, but Yan Xiaonan and Tatiana Suarez are the top contenders to challenge her for the title.
Andrade’s return to this division will add more excitement to the division’s competition. With her experience, Andrade only needs some consistency in her performance to reclaim her position at the top and win the belt yet again.
If Andrade manages to beat Godinesz, she could skip several names into a No. 1 contender slot or earn a top-position fight.
Concerns About Form and Betting Markets
Andrade’s biggest problem so far in her career has been her inconsistent form. The Brazilian will be returning to the strawweight division, with four losses in her last six fights, back-to-back defeats to Jasmine Jasudavicius and Natalia Silva in her most recent flyweight fights.
Many believe Andrade’s age might be catching up to her, as the fighter is 33 years old with nearly 40 professional fights to her name. Her aggressive fighting style has been a fan favorite for a long time, but many are questioning whether the Brazilian ex-champion is slowly approaching the end of her career.
As the date of UFC 319 is approaching, betting markets have already adjusted their odds for Andrade’s return. While most sportsbooks are yet to release the odds for the fight, we can expect even odds for the matchup, with Godinez slightly favored in some UFC picks, thanks to her recent form.
No matter the result, Andrade’s return to the division will be an exciting showdown to witness, and we can expect similar situations in the betting market as well.
A Stacked UFC 319 Card
The UFC 319 card is stacked with many high-stakes matchups. The headliner event will feature middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis defending his title against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Other matchups of the events that have been announced so far:
- Flyweight bout: Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura
- Women’s flyweight bout: Karine Silva vs. JJ Aldrich
- Lightweight bout: Alexander Hernandez vs. Chase Hooper
- Middleweight bout: Bryan Battle vs. Nurstulon Ruziboev
- Middleweight bout: Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
