Jessica Andrade of Brazil prepares to fight Zhang Weili of China in their UFC strawweight championship bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre on August 31, 2019 in Shenzhen, China. (Photo by Zhe Ji/Getty Images)
Jessica Andrade is set to face Katlyn Chookagian in the UFC Flyweight division
Former UFC Strawweight Champion, Jessica Andrade, opened up about fighting in the Flyweight division as she aimed to create history.
The Brazilian lost back-to-back fights in the Strawweight division to Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas.
However, she wanted to try out a new division and seemed excited for the same. The 29-year-old has also fought in the Bantamweight division and she explained the decision to try out her luck in the Flyweight division too:
“My coach and I talked about this. I had a little more difficult to make weight the last time.
“In the end, I weight below because I was stubborn. I think we always wanted me to fight in several different categories.
“Fighting at 125 pounds was something I wanted when I became a champion at 115 pounds, but I didn’t have the opportunity.
“This time, I said we should ask for a fight at 125. I wanted to make history, to be one of the first female fighters to fight in three different categories.
“It worked, the UFC accepted it and maybe I will be able to compete for the 125 belt.”
While facing Chookagian won’t be an easy fight, the Brazilian also opened up on the changes in her training and diet.
Andrade claimed that she was doing more heavy load training to compensate for her size. She added that the girls were taller and had a wider wingspan in this division, so she needed to work out on dealing with that.
The Brazilian also claimed that she was eating more carbohydrates now and it was easier to make weight.
It will be interesting to see if Andrade can deal with Chookagian in her next fight. Andrade does have championship pedigree but moving to a new division is always risky.
The Brazilian has an MMA record of 20 wins and eight losses, and is eyeing gold in the Flyweight division now.
Follow our dedicated UFC page for instant UFC news and updates
