Jessica Andrade

Does Lauren Murphy deserve a title shot after UFC 254?

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Lauren Murphy, UFC

One of the more vocal fighters after UFC 254 was flyweight contender, Lauren Murphy (14-4). Murphy was originally supposed to take on Cynthia Calvillo, but at the last minute she ended up fighting Lilya Shakirova at UFC 254.

The flyweight contender looked really solid in all areas on Saturday. Murphy looked solid on the feet, and she showed good skills on the ground. Murphy said she wanted to lock up her first submission victory and she was able to do just that.

UFC 254 marked the fourth straight time that Murphy has made the walk successfully. She’s taken on ranked opponents in the division and finished two of her last four opponents. Murphy was very vocal about wanting a title shot in her post-fight interview.

Later on at the post-fight press conference, Murphy continued to show frustrations of getting passed up. She talked about Jennifer Maia. getting the next shot at Valentina Shevchenko. Let’s just say that Murphy is not thrilled with Maia’s title shot.

What should the UFC do?

For context, JoJo Calderwood was originally supposed to face Valentina Shevchenko in June. However, the UFC champion sustained an injury that would cause the fight to be delayed. Calderwood decided to roll the dice and fight Maia.

Maia went on to finish Calderwood by submission in the first round. Because of the finish of the top contender, the UFC decided to give Maia the shot. However, her resume doesn’t really scream top contender as she’s just 3-2 in her last five fights.

Granted, her two losses were to former title challengers. Murphy does have a point in that she’s won four in a row against ranked caliber opponents. So what should the UFC do? Obviously, the promotion isn’t going to take away the title fight from Maia.

I also don’t think sitting and waiting is going to help Murphy. Instead, I think the UFC should book her against who’s probably the front runner for the next title shot, Jessica Andrade. Andrade made her flyweight debut at UFC Fight Island 6 and finished top contender Katlyn Chookagian. 

The former strawweight champion is finally competing in what she believes is her natural weight class. Andrade just fought and Murphy just fought. The logical move to me is to have the UFC pair both of them together and the winner should fight the flyweight champion early next year.

Did Jessica Andrade earn a title shot at UFC Fight Island 6?

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This past weekend at UFC Fight Island 6, former strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade (21-8), moved up to flyweight for the first time. Andrade had competed at bantamweight and became the champion at strawweight during her UFC career.

Despite the success at strawweight, many people believed that flyweight was the best natural weight class for the former champion. She jumped right into the deep end of the pool taking on top ranked contender, Katlyn Chookagian (14-4).

Chookagian was coming off a dominant win and was just one fight removed from a UFC title shot. Many believed that the winner could be in good position to cash in on a UFC title shot. Well, Andrade made a massive statement on Saturday.

Andrade showed off her superior strength despite being the much smaller fighter. She threw Chookagian to the ground twice. Andrade then landed some vicious hooks to the body that crumbled Chookagian giving Andrade the first round TKO victory.

UFC title shot next?

Andrade was the second UFC strawweight to move up this year to take on the top contender at flyweight. Cynthia Calvillo did the same thing against Jessica Eye. That night, Calvillo also defeated the previously top ranked contender.

However, that fight was a grinding decision with a lot of wrestling. Andrade made a massive statement with the way that she was able to win on Saturday night. She completed dominated and finished the former title challenger.

Given the way that she won and her status as a former UFC champion, I think Andrade is definitely next in line to face the winner of the UFC 255 title match. In the most likely scenario that Valentina Shevchenko retains her title, I would be very excited to see the matchup between Shevchenko and Andrade.

Shevchenko would still be a sizable favorite in that potential UFC matchup. Many people believe that she might be the best female fighter in the world. I personally thought she beat Amanda Nunes the last time they fought. A Shevchenko – Andrade title fight would be very exciting for the division.

What’s next for Katlyn Chookagian after UFC Fight Island 6?

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This past Saturday at UFC Fight Island 6, the co-main event of the evening featured a fight between two top flyweight contenders. Former title challenger, Katlyn Chookagian (14-4), was welcoming the former UFC strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade (21-8) to flyweight.

Despite having fought at bantamweight during her UFC career, Andrade was at a big size disadvantage. However, Chookagian wasn’t able to really use that size advantage to her advantage in this fight.

Andrade was able to take Chookagian down a couple of times including one big slam during the first round. In addition to the takedowns, Andrade was able to land some big leg kicks that buckled the former title challenger. Andrade looked great in the first round.

Chookagian was caught with a massive hook to the body that sent her spinning to the other side of the cage. Andrade followed up with more vicious hooks to the body that finished the fight. A crushing defeat for Chookagian at UFC Fight Island 6.

What’s next after UFC Fight Island 6?

For Chookagian, it will be back to the UFC drawing board. She was coming off of a dominant victory over Antonina Shevchenko in her last fight, and a victory over the former UFC strawweight champion would’ve given her a good case for a rematch with Valentina Shevchenko.

However, Chookagian was dominated by Andrade. Chookagian has been flirting with retirement due to her desire to start a family. However, she said that she still has a goal and dream to become a UFC champion.

Chookagian has stated that once she leaves the sport to start a family, she will not be coming back. That said, Chookagian is going to need a big win in her next fight to try to get back into UFC title contention.

Perhaps a fight with Cynthia Calvillo or a fight with Lauren Murphy could be next for Chookagian. Those two were supposed to fight at UFC 254, however, Calvillo fell out of the fight. If Murphy wins, perhaps the UFC looks to book her against Chookagian or they book Calvillo with Chookagian.

Jessica Andrade stops Chookagian at UFC Fight Island 6

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Tonight, the UFC Fight Island 6 has delivered some solid action. The co-main event of the evening featured a big time contest in the flyweight division. Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade (21-8) was making her flyweight debut.

She was doing that against the number one ranked contender in the division, Katlyn Chookagian (14-4). Chookagian was coming off of a dominant victory in her last fight against Antonina Shevchenko. While retirement rumors have been swirling, Chookagian was focused on tonight.

As the fight started, the former UFC champion really looked to close the distance. However, Chookagian did well in the opening seconds landing a few shots. Andrade was able to push Chookagian to the fence and land a takedown early.

Chookagian was able to get back to her feet in the first. However, Andrade’s constant clinch work was solid and she landed another takedown late. Again, Chookagian got back up to her feet. However, Andrade hurt Chookagian bad to the body with a massive hook.

Andrade followed up with additional shots. Another giant body shot floored Chookagian for the final time and the ref called it. Incredible flyweight debut for the former UFC strawweight champion.

UFC Fight Island 6 Fallout

UFC Fight Island 6 was a massive statement for the former strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade. Andrade was finally fighting in her natural weight class. In her divisional debut, she stopped the top ranked contender.

It is not crazy to think that Andrade could be next in line to face the winner of the Valentina Shevchenko – Jennifer Maia fight. The loss was a crushing defeat for Katlyn Chookagian who was trying to get back to a title shot with a victory tonight.

While there have been retirement talks, I wouldn’t say that Chookagian is done after this fight. I just think that she ran into a buzzsaw in Jessica Andrade. Andrade is going to be a handful for a lot of contenders in the UFC‘s flyweight division.

Will Andrade or Chookagian be victorious at UFC Fight Island 6?

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Tomorrow night, UFC Fight Island 6 will take place from Abu Dhabi. In the main event of the evening, there is a title eliminator between Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung. In the co-main event of the evening, there is a fantastic women’s flyweight contest.

Former UFC strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade (20-8) will be making her flyweight debut. Standing across from the former champion is Katlyn Chookagian (14-3). Chookagian is coming off of a dominant win over Antonina Shevchenko.

This is a fantastic matchup for a number of reasons. Chookagian is the top ranked contender in the UFC‘s flyweight division. Despite being the top contender in the division, Chookagian has openly talked about the end of her fighting career. An interest wrinkle in tomorrow’s fight.

Andrade won the title at strawweight and she’s competed at bantamweight in her UFC career. This is the first time that Andrade will likely be competing in her natural weight class. She’s going to be very strong and very fast when she enters the cage tomorrow night.

UFC Fight Island 6 Prediction

I was very impressed with what I saw from Jessica Andrade back at UFC 251. Sure, she lost a decision to Rose Namajunas. However, it was the way that Andrade overcame adversity that impressed me. She was touched up early, but she just kept coming forward and hurt Namajunas late.

This is the first time she will be competing in a UFC weight class that feels natural for her. She should have extra energy and speed when she enters the cage tomorrow. Andrade is extremely well rounded, however, she’s known for her incredible power.

Chookagian was able to bounce back big time in her last contest. She used a wrestling heavy attack to stifle Antonina Shevchenko. The win was the third in the last four fights for Chookagian. She will be the much bigger fighter tomorrow night coming in eight inches taller than Andrade.

I think that Chookagian really needs to use her size tomorrow night. If she can stay on the outside and mix in some timely takedowns she can win a decision. However, I just don’t know if I see it. I love the flyweight move for Andrade, and I think her striking and speed wins out tomorrow night.

Prediction: Jessica Andrade by Unanimous Decision

UFC Fight Island 6 could be it for Katlyn Chookagian

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The top ranked contender in the flyweight division could be calling it a quits after this weekend’s UFC Fight Island 6 event. Katlyn Chookagian (14-3) is considering hanging up her gloves for good following this weekend’s event.

Chookagian will be welcoming former UFC strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade (20-8), to the flyweight division this Saturday night. It’s a big time fight for the flyweight division and it could determine who’s going to get the next shot at Valentina Schevchenko.

Shevchenko will defend her title at UFC 255, but she will be a massive favorite over challenger, Jennifer Maia. Whoever wins at UFC Fight Island 6 would have a clear argument as the top contender in the flyweight division.

However, Chookagian might not be interested in rematching with the champion. The top UFC flyweight contender has been itching to start a family over. She told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that she’s taking her career fight by fight, but this Saturday could be it.

A lot riding on UFC Fight Island 6

It’s very interesting to see a fighter in Chookagian’s position take the stance she is. It’s extremely admirable, but it’s rare that a fighter would walk away right before getting a UFC title shot. However, if she wins Saturday, she could do just that.

Chookagian fought the champion back at UFC 247. Shevchenko walked away with her hand raised that night. A very motivated Chookagian bounced back by dominating Shevchenko’s sister, Antonina, at UFC on ESPN 9.

Chookagian looked like she could once again be a formattable challenger for the UFC title following that victory. However, she might not take that chance given the way she’s currently talking.

On the other side of the cage is Jessica Andrade. The former champion is coming off a razor close loss to Rose Namajunas back at UFC 251. Many people believe Andrade is finally fighting in her natural weight class which is scary. This should be a fantastic matchup with multiple storylines on Saturday.

UFC: Jessica Andrade to fight Katlyn Chookagian

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The UFC has booked a potential title eliminator in their women’s flyweight division for October 17th. Top ranked, Katlyn Chookagian (14-3), will be taking on Jessica Andrade (20-8). The fight was first reported by MMA Junkie.

For Andrade, she will be making her flyweight debut. Much like Cynthia Calvillo did earlier this year, Andrade will be going straight to the top of the UFC‘s flyweight division in her first contest at the new weight.

UFC Title Eliminator?

Chookagian will enter the octagon on October 17th as the UFC‘s top ranked flyweight. She is coming off of a dominant win over Antonina Shevchenko back in May. Chookagian is 3-1 in her last four fights with a win over the next title challenger, Jennifer Maia. Her only defeat has come at the hands of the champion, Valentina Shevchenko.

The former UFC strawweight champion, Andrade, finally feels like she found her natural weight class. The former champ has lost two fights in a row, but they were to the current strawweight champion and a former strawweight champion. The Namajunas loss was razor close.

Andrade used to fight at 135 pounds in the UFC. She was always the smallest so when the UFC started the strawweight division, she moved down 20 pounds. Many people believed 125 was her ideal weight, but she was able to capture gold at strawweight.

With the weight class move, Andrade is hoping to once again become UFC champion. Given her championship status and the fact that Chookagian is the top ranked contender, one has to believe that the winner will face the winner of Shevchenko – Maia at UFC 255.

UFC: Jessica Eye welcomes Jessica Andrade to the flyweight division on Oct. 17

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The former UFC strawweight champion has decided to move up in weight. Jessica Andrade (20-8) is moving up to flyweight and taking on former title challenger Jessica Eye (15-8, 1 NC) on October 17th per ESPN.

As Okamoto’s tweet says, Andrade will be competing in her third weight class in the UFC. After starting her career at 135 pounds, she dropped to 115 when that weight class started. Now, it’s on to flyweight.

Eye welcomes another to the UFC flyweight division

For the second consecutive fight, Jessica Eye is going to welcome a former strawweight contender to the flyweight division. She took on Cynthia Calvillo back in June.

In that fight, Eye was not able to get past the wrestling of Calvillo. It was just Eye’s second loss since she had moved to flyweight back in 2018. The other of course being the knockout loss to current UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko.

For Andrade, she’s jumping right into the deep end of the UFC‘s flyweight division taking on the fifth ranked contender. We last saw Andrade compete at UFC 251 on Fight Island.

Andrade took a tough loss against former champion, Rose Namajunas. Despite being outclassed early on, Andrade came on strong and really put on a clinic late. However, it was a little too late.

Many people believe that 125 pounds is the ideal weight class for Andrade. She carries a lot of muscle from her days of competing at 135 pounds. Now, she won’t have to worry about cutting the 10 extra pounds.

Andrade might become the best version of herself in the UFC‘s flyweight division. A win for either her or Eye has a big impact on the flyweight division. While I don’t think the winner will be next in line, I think the winner will get a title eliminator in their next outing.

 

Four fights to make after UFC Fight Island 3

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UFC, Dana White

The UFC hosted it’s fourth and final event from Final Island last night, and the card completely delivered from top to bottom. After the card was over, it’s always time to start pondering what’s next. Here are four fights that should be made following last night.

Robert Whittaker vs Winner of Adesanya/Costa

This is one of the easier ones when you think about it. The former UFC middleweight champion looked very impressive last night defeating world class striker, Darren Till.

Whittaker was hurt very early in the fight, but went on to win three of the next four rounds on his way to a unanimous decision. Whittaker improved to 10-1 since moving to the middleweight division.

Bobby Knuckles lost his title to Israel Adesanya back in October of last year at UFC 243. Getting a win over a guy like Till puts him right back in the top contender status.

If you look at the middleweight division, there really is not another fight for Whittaker. I expect Bobby Knuckles to sit back and watch the September title fight with Adesanya and Paulo Costa.

Whoever wins that fight will likely get a fight with Whittaker in early 2021 or even perhaps by the end of this year.

Fabricio Werdum vs Ryan Bader

I know you might be thinking, “Why is a Bellator matchup in a UFC article?” Well it’s no secret that last night was the last fight on Fabricio Werdum‘s current contract.

The former champion has made it known that he’s interested in moving on from the UFC. The logical next step for Werdum would be to move to Bellator.

Bellator has a history of pushing UFC vets straight to the top when they jump ship. I expect Werdum to get the same treatment given his resume. The heavyweight division in Bellator is not very strong.

With that, Werdum could go right into a title shot in Bellator. He poses some interesting problems for Ryan Bader. If the Werdum that fought last night shows up, it’s not out of the question that he becomes the Bellator heavyweight champion this year.

Carla Esparza vs Jessica Andrade

Carla Esparza was able to capture her fourth consecutive win last night at UFC Fight Island 3 defeating Marina Rodriguez. With that win, Esparza looks to be ready to challenge one of the divisions best.

In looking at the logical next opponents for her, there are only two opponents that make sense from a divisional standpoint and that’s Tatiana Suarez and Jessica Andrade.

Suarez just finished Esparza two years ago so I can’t see the UFC making that fight. Andrade is coming off of a close loss to Rose Namajunas back at UFC 251.

This fight would pair two former champions against each other as both look to get back to the top. Andrade has lost two in a row, but they were to the two best women in the world. Esparza needs a win over someone like Andrade to prove she’s still one of the very best.

Khamzat Chimaev vs Top 15 UFC opponent

For all of the fighters that took part in Fight Island, the one that UFC fans should be the most excited about is Khamzat Chimaev. The guy is an absolute monster. His dominance can be illustrated with one tweet.

Chimaev resembles a larger version of the UFC’s lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“Borz” is a frightening matchup for anyone in the welterweight division. He’s so exciting because unlike some wrestlers who just take their opponents down, Chimaev is constantly looking to “Smash” his opponents.

Seeing how polished he is already, I would not be surprised to see him fast-tracked. Chimaev’s wrestling base can allow him to move quicker than some prospects would in the UFC.

Perhaps a good fight for Chimaev would be taking on the winner of next week’s Randy Brown – Vicente Luque fight. Either way, Chimaev is going to get a quick turnaround. I expect to see Borz fight one or even two more times before 2021.

 

UFC: Diverging Paths For Rose Namajunas & Jessica Andrade After UFC 251 Slugfest

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UFC 251 was a notable event for having not one but three belts on the line, but the title fights weren’t the only ones that have a big impact. The card also had two fights featuring high level talents from the women’s side of the UFC, and one of these fights pitted Jessica Andrade against Rose Namajunas in a rematch of 2019’s title fight.

This time, Namajunas came out on top in a split decision – it won’t be a popular decision with every fan, as it’s not impossible to make an argument that Andrade was the winner, but at the end of the day it was higher volume striking that won ‘Thug Rose’ the fight.

The result has important implications for the division, which is currently ruled by Zhang Weili. Weili currently has one title defense, which came against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, leaving her in a situation where the rest of the division is looking up to her and waiting for their shot.

Where will tonight’s result take both fighters as well as the champion?

A step down for Jessica Andrade

Many would say that Jessica Andrade is one of the most exciting talents in the UFC. Despite fighting at a lower weight class, she has great power and an aggressive style. She’s fought bloody battles before against high level opponents, and her fights are anything but boring.

Perhaps that’s the reason why the UFC was willing to throw Andrade a bone and give her the Namajunas fight immediately after her loss of the belt to Weili. If she managed a win, there’s a chance she would get a rematch and a chance to take the belt back.

However, the loss means that Andrade has lost back to back fights. With a recent record like this, one can expect her next fight to be of a lower caliber than her last two.

Will the UFC match Andrade up with another contender, giving her a chance to get right back into the mix in the competition for the number one contender spot? Or will they instead use her recent lack of success as a chance to ‘put on’ a newer fighter with a matchup against the veteran who has fallen out of favor?

What are the possible fights?

If the league does decide to send Andrade down the rankings a bit to fight some of the others who are in the contender mix, a couple of names stand out. Tatiana Suarez is still undefeated in professional MMA and 4-0 in the UFC and could easily move into title contention with a win over a name like Andrade. Suarez is already a top three name in the division rankings, and has a chance to move up due to Andrade’s defeat.

Claudia Gadelha, on the other hand, was at number six in the rankings before UFC 251 but has a history of contention and already fought one bout against Andrade, which was Fight of the Night and had some exceptional action. Few would complain about a rematch, and Gadelha is on good form, having won her past two fights.

There’s also some decent names in the division to match with Andrade if the UFC wants to set up a former champion versus rising prospect fight, which would either put Andrade back on track or put a newer contender on the map. Yan Xiaonan is a possible opponent who was at 10 in the rankings going into UFC 251, with a 5-0 record in the UFC.

Amanda Ribas is more of a longshot but will likely move up from her spot at #14 thanks to her quick finish of Paige VanZant in the earlier fight at UFC 251.

The road to the belt for Rose Namajunas

It looks like Rose Namajunas is certainly going to fight for the title next.

Things are far more clear cut for Thug Rose than they are for Andrade. Andrade has been the opponent for the past two of her fights and she came out with a 1-1 record from those matchups, but in her previous fights, she had put together three straight wins including two against ex-champion Joanna Jedrzejcyzk.

With Andrade’s defeat, her and Tatiana Suarez are the last ones standing in the race to fight Weili. And with Suarez lacking the resume, it’s blatantly obvious that Weili and Namajunas are set for a fight where Namajunas will have a chance at getting her belt back.

It looks like an entertaining title fight – one where Weili’s 21 fight win streak will be challenged by a contender who has experience against the best. And thanks to the way things panned out, it seems certain that we’ll get this fight as the next title bout in the strawweight division.