Unsuccessful title shots can have different effects on fighters.
Quite often, we’ll see distraught-looking athletes taking the dais in front of reporters after their failed attempts at achieving the highest of UFC honors. Some disagree with the judges’ scorecards. Some choose to focus on their own mistakes. But, in most cases, there is a palatable feeling of frustration around the idea of having made it this far only to come up short.
But Jessica Andrade’s attitude since a failed title bid against champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk has been anything but typical.
After losing all five rounds of a UFC 211 effort, a swollen Andrade used her mic time to praise her team for helping her put on a gritty display. She assured everyone she’d be back. And then she made a sour situation joyous by proposing to her girlfriend in the octagon.
As she prepares to return to the cage at Friday’s UFC Fight Night 117, Andrade has had four months to reflect on the setback. And, aside from “a little bit” of natural sadness, her outlook remains just as optimistic.
“This fight made me a lot more confident,” Andrade told MMAjunkie. “It made me believe more in myself and in my capability. And it gave me more will power to become the champion. Everything is a learning experience. I learned a lot from this fight. I learned to believe more in myself and in my hands.
“(I learned to believe) that it’s very hard for anyone to knock me out – so I don’t have to be afraid of moving forward because I’m not going to fall. It was a very important fight for me. It motivated me to train harder, to prepare myself further, and to believe more in myself and my team.”
When it comes to her confidence, the Brazilian is not just talk. Ranked No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s strawweight rankings, Andrade (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) could’ve at least tried to ease her way back into the octagon. Instead, she promptly accepted a callout issued by the division’s No. 2 fighter, Claudia Gadelha (15-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC).
The 115-pound meeting co-headlines Friday’s FXX-televised main card from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The majority of the preliminary card also airs on FXX – with only the night’s first bout streaming on UFC Fight Pass.
Speaking to MMAjunkie, Gadelha offered a quite straightforward outlook on her opponent. If, on the one hand, Andrade is strong and gutsy, Gadelha argued, on the other she severely lacked in the technical department. That, the jiu-jitsu black belt pondered, is where she could capitalize.
Asked for her own breakdown, Andrade was pretty much on board with a lot of Gadelha’s views, including that she’s less technically gifted. The difference rides on how Andrade thinks this particular disparity might play out in the octagon.
“(Gadelha) is very technical, but sometimes people who are to technical get lost with those who aren’t,” Andrade pondered. “I’m not that technical, but I am a good striker.
“I can find the strikes and I’m very aggressive. I’m always moving forward. I think that will be a big problem for her.”
While some would argue that the strategy against the heavy-handed Andrade would be to avoid striking, Andrade has another view on how Gadelha is, at least initially, going to approach things.
“Claudia has been training a lot of boxing, muay Thai; she’s believing more in her striking and getting more confident,” Andrade said. “So I think it will be an interesting fight between the two of us. Most likely, she’ll enter it looking to strike, and I want to strike, too.
“I have a very hard chin. I can really take damage. When I fought Joanna, everyone could see that. I’m going to look for the striking at all times and move forward.”
Andrade does believe, however, that a harder blow – or an emptying gas tank – could lead Gadelha to revert back to her grappling-heavy roots and look for the takedown. If that happens to be the case, Andrade is ready to go to the ground – and maybe even pull off a submission of her own.
“Whatever she has to offer, I’m very well-prepared,” Andrade said.
Still, she envisions a more probable scenario.
“What I’m looking for is the knockout,” Andrade said. “I believe it’s very likely that I’ll knock her out. I’m going to move forward at all times. I’m going to strike, I’m going to find the distance, and I’ll manage to win this fight.”
Gadelha believes a win on Friday should be able to land her another stab at the belt – which also hinges on a UFC 217 title encounter between Jedrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas. Andrade agrees that would probably be the case for Gadelha – but, for herself, she thinks another fight or two should follow before a fresh title shot.
At some point, though, Andrade thinks it will happen. And, if Jedrzejczyk still happens to be the champion by the time it does, she believes we’re going to see a much different fight than the first one.
“If we were to fight again, I’d fight more like I did the first round: moving forward, going after the fight, going in with her in the striking exchanges,” Andrade said. “I think it would be very different.
“Now I know I have the gas tank for five rounds at a high pace, and that there is no problem with me taking a punch or a kick. It won’t drop me. It might happen soon, it might take a little longer, but I know I will be prepared when it happens.”
For more on UFC Fight Night 117, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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