Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, plans on surprising Weilli Zhang at UFC China on August 31.
Mostly known for her powerful striking and always walking forward style, the UFC’s female strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, wants to show a more technical side of her arsenal when she meets Weili Zhang for her first title defense at UFC China this weekend.
Interviewed by Combate, Andrade said fans can expect an entirely different version of herself – a fighter who wants to show the world that she also can perform strategically, if need be.
“Most girls are used to seeing me walk forward all the time and do crazy stuff. This time, I’m more focused, concentrated. I’ve been learning a lot about muay thai clinching. You’ll see a Jessica with a new arsenal of takedowns, I’m improving on this more and more. But also elbows, kicks, which were things I didn’t throw. Everybody will see me do that, it’s going to be different. She will think I’m the same, but I changed everything. Striking, grappling, I’m ready for everything. She has some hip tosses, which I’ve been drilling, trying different takedowns. It’ll be a very versatile fight. Whoever is watching won’t even be able to blink.”
Currently on a four-fight winning streak, Jessica Andrade (20-6) won the UFC title after knocking out Rose Namajunas with a power slam back in May. Before that, ‘Bate-Estaca’ also picked up wins against the likes of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Claudia Gadelha and Tecia Torres. The 27-year-old’s last loss happened in May 2017, when she dropped an unanimous decision to then champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Now, Jessica Andrade is expected put her belt on the line against Weili Zhang at UFC Fight Night 157’s main event, in Shenzhen, China.