The UFC roster is full of fighters from various fighting backgrounds. From wrestlers to grapplers to strikers, the promotion has all kinds of athletes. But today, we will be looking at the former strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, who is slated to fight fellow Brazilian Marina Rodriguez at UFC 300.

Jessica Andrade won two and lost three in her last five fights, and she’ll be looking to keep her winning momentum from her last fight ahead of her matchup this weekend. But to get to know her better as an athlete, let’s take a deep dive into Andrade’s development as an MMA fighter before she gets inside the Octagon to fight Marina Rodriguez.

The fighting style of Jessica Andrade

Jessica Andrade was born in Umuarama, Brazil. She used to play soccer when she was young, which is a dream for most Brazilian athletes. However, Andrade decided to shift her focus to judo even though she got the offer to play for a soccer club in Sau Paulo and started full-time judo training and also started training in Jiu-Jitsu in 2011. As per her profile on the UFC’s website, ‘Bate Estaca’ is a Muay Thai practitioner.

Jessica Andrade has proved to the UFC fans to be an excellent striker. She has 10 career knockouts to her name with a 51% accuracy in her striking. However, her striking is not the only weapon she has. The Brazilian is also well equipped with grappling skills, which was evident when she earned her black belt in jiu-jitsu.

‘Bate Estaca’ has a black belt in BJJ

When Jessica Andrade started her jiu-jitsu training, she started training under Gilliard ‘Parana’ Fagundes, who was also a professional MMA fighter with a record of 12 wins and 6 losses. The former strawweight champion continues to train with ‘Parana’ in his gym, Parana Vale Tudo, and Andrade has tattooed the initials of the gym on her forearm, showcasing her loyalty to her coach.

A few years after she started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Jessica Andrade was awarded the black belt by Gilliard Fagundes. She has proved her prowess in grappling many times inside the Octagon, validating her status as a rightful owner of the black belt in the martial arts that was developed in her native country.

Jessica Andrade has not had the best record as of late. Hence, the opportunity to fight at UFC 300 may be a monumental opportunity, but she needs to win if she wants to move towards title contention. Will she be able to edge past her Brazilian opponent? We will find that out on Saturday on the most important UFC PPV of all time.

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