Jessica Andrade putting flyweight on hold to commit to strawweight: 'It's the division where I became champion'

Jessica Andrade has been going back and forth between flyweight and strawweight in the past few years, but that’s come to an end.

Andrade has decided to put her flyweight career on hold to focus on getting back the belt she once held at 115 pounds. This campaign to focus on one division starts Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 50, which takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Andrade (24-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) takes on undefeated contender Tatiana Suarez (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in hopes to bounce back from a two-fight skid.

“Now I want to stay in this division,” Andrade told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “It’s the division where I became champion. I think that staying in this division is a good thing. I’m stronger, I’m better. I’m also good in the division above, but I want to just focus on one division because when I’m in two divisions, I’m not well ranked in either. I’m always fourth, fifth, eight, but if I only focus on one, I think I will move to No. 1 once again.

“After I win the title (at strawweight), then I’d want to move to flyweight and fight for a belt there to try to be a two-division UFC champion.”

Andrade fought five times at 125 pounds and went 3-2. Her defeats came against then-champion Valentina Shevchenko in a championship bout and a short-notice fight against then-rising contender Erin Blanchfield.

The Brazilian felt comfortable fighting at flyweight, but she does admit she was giving up advantages that she otherwise wouldn’t have at strawweight.

“When I fight at strawweight, I’m fighting girls that are my same height and size,” Andrade said. “Sometimes you’ll have someone like Tatiana who’s bigger, but it’s very manageable since I fought at 135. I’m used to all this. It’ll be good. This is my weight class.”

As far as the bout against Suarez, Andrade sees it as a good opportunity to get back in the title mix. She knows there’s a risk in taking a skilled contender on short notice, but she also knows there’s a big reward if victorious.

“When they told me about this fight, it was about a month ago,” Andrade said. “Virna (Jandiroba) has a booked fight against Tatiana, but she suffered an injury and had to get surgery. The UFC called me and said, ‘Jessica, you want to fight again?’ and I spoke to my coach and management, and we said, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ It’s a good fight.

“I’m coming off two losses, so I think a win over Tatiana is a strong statement to get back in the mix, and who know, maybe this coming year I’m fighting for the belt. Fighting Tatiana is a very good opportunity.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.