The Film Room: Jessica Andrade
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pay-per-views has changed: UFC 237 is only available on ESPN+ in the
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As the top-ranked contender at 115 pounds, Jessica Andrade will step inside the Octagon for the 15th time when she challenges Rose Namajunas for the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight crown in the UFC 237 headliner on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It marks the second title shot for the 27-year-old Brazilian, who failed in her bid to unseat Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2017.
Andrade’s exploits are under the microscope in this installment of
The Film Room.
As her career progresses, Andrade is becoming more reliant on the clinch and her grappling skills. To secure the clinch, she will rush forward with strikes to fluster opponents, grab an underhook and drive them to the cage. Once against the cage, she can cut loose with strikes, or she can look for takedowns.
Although Andrade’s leading attacks garner most of the attention, she might be better when working on the counter. With that said, she is not your usual counterstriker. She likes to pressure forward with feints and footwork, wait for the opponent to strike and then come forward with full-fledged counter combos. As an aggressive fighter, she almost never counters with single strikes and likes to simultaneously mix in her leading attacks. As mentioned, Andrade might be the only women at 115 pounds with pure one-punch knockout power. In her most recent fight with Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Andrade landed a beautiful counter right hook that knocked the Pole senseless.
Another aspect of her attack worth noting is how she always counters an opponent’s kicks. Since she plods forward and stands a bit flat-footed, leg kicks are her kryptonite, as we saw in her fight with Jedrzejczyk. Instead of learning to check them, Andrade elects to catch the kicks and counter them, usually with a lead hook. Speaking of the lead hook, Andrade often gets stuck throwing nothing but her lead hand -- a tendency that can make her predictable. As the fight went on against Jedrzejczyk and she continued to lose rounds, she started rushing forward with nothing but lead hooks that “Joanna Champion” easily avoided.
Andrade is a striking-based fighter, but she is slowly getting better on the ground and relying on her grappling more when she cannot get the job done on the feet. Most of her takedowns come from the clinch, but she is not opposed to shooting for the hips from the center of the Octagon. Andrade is one of the strongest women in the division, and it becomes apparent in her slams and throws. She effortlessly ragdolls many opponents and can land takedowns with her strength alone.
Once on the ground, Andrade is just as aggressive as she is on the feet. She does not concern herself with improving position and would rather posture up and look for the finish. She is not much of a submission threat these days, but early in her career, almost all of her wins resulted from submissions. Since Namajunas struggles with pressure on the feet, it seems doubtful that we will see Andrade try to get this on the mat. However, do not be surprised to see her mix up things and look for the occasional slam from the clinch, even if she does not want to engage on the ground.
As the top-ranked contender at 115 pounds, Jessica Andrade will step inside the Octagon for the 15th time when she challenges Rose Namajunas for the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight crown in the UFC 237 headliner on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It marks the second title shot for the 27-year-old Brazilian, who failed in her bid to unseat Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2017.
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Early in her career, Andrade got by on pure athleticism and
aggressiveness, so she has just begun putting together all of her
skills and becoming a well-rounded martial artist. She remains one
of the most aggressive strikers in the UFC but now has the proper
technique and experience to complement her wild style. Although
this style is usually not advised since it leaves you open
defensively, Andrade knows she is probably the only fighter in the
division with one-punch knockout power, so it is worth it to take a
few punches on her way into the pocket to land some of her own.
Andrade simply walks forward with strikes to trap the opponent
against the cage and then unloads with furious combos to the head
and body.
As her career progresses, Andrade is becoming more reliant on the clinch and her grappling skills. To secure the clinch, she will rush forward with strikes to fluster opponents, grab an underhook and drive them to the cage. Once against the cage, she can cut loose with strikes, or she can look for takedowns.
Although Andrade’s leading attacks garner most of the attention, she might be better when working on the counter. With that said, she is not your usual counterstriker. She likes to pressure forward with feints and footwork, wait for the opponent to strike and then come forward with full-fledged counter combos. As an aggressive fighter, she almost never counters with single strikes and likes to simultaneously mix in her leading attacks. As mentioned, Andrade might be the only women at 115 pounds with pure one-punch knockout power. In her most recent fight with Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Andrade landed a beautiful counter right hook that knocked the Pole senseless.
Another aspect of her attack worth noting is how she always counters an opponent’s kicks. Since she plods forward and stands a bit flat-footed, leg kicks are her kryptonite, as we saw in her fight with Jedrzejczyk. Instead of learning to check them, Andrade elects to catch the kicks and counter them, usually with a lead hook. Speaking of the lead hook, Andrade often gets stuck throwing nothing but her lead hand -- a tendency that can make her predictable. As the fight went on against Jedrzejczyk and she continued to lose rounds, she started rushing forward with nothing but lead hooks that “Joanna Champion” easily avoided.
Andrade is a striking-based fighter, but she is slowly getting better on the ground and relying on her grappling more when she cannot get the job done on the feet. Most of her takedowns come from the clinch, but she is not opposed to shooting for the hips from the center of the Octagon. Andrade is one of the strongest women in the division, and it becomes apparent in her slams and throws. She effortlessly ragdolls many opponents and can land takedowns with her strength alone.
Once on the ground, Andrade is just as aggressive as she is on the feet. She does not concern herself with improving position and would rather posture up and look for the finish. She is not much of a submission threat these days, but early in her career, almost all of her wins resulted from submissions. Since Namajunas struggles with pressure on the feet, it seems doubtful that we will see Andrade try to get this on the mat. However, do not be surprised to see her mix up things and look for the occasional slam from the clinch, even if she does not want to engage on the ground.
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