LAS VEGAS – Jessica Andrade campaigned for a title shot after UFC 300.
Former champion Andrade (26-12 MMA, 17-10 UFC) notched her second-straight win Saturday when she defeated Marina Rodriguez (17-4-2 MMA, 7-4-2 UFC) by split decision in their strawweight bout at T-Mobile Arena.
Based off of availability and who already had their chance at the title, Andrade explains why she should be next for champion Zhang Weili, who retained her title against Yan Xiaonan in the night’s co-headliner.
“This is the natural course of things,” Andrade told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at the UFC 300 post-fight press conference. “That’s what Marina said. I think the winner of this fight was the one who should be next for the fight for the title.
“If you think about it, Tatiana (Suarez) is actually injured. Amanda Lemos, not only myself, but also Marina faced her. So I hope to have a shot at the title, and having that shot (at) the end of the year.”
A fresh matchup could be Virna Jandiroba, who’s on a three-fight winning streak, and also close to title contention. However, Andrade would rather not fight her.
“Virna and I are really, really, really good friends,” Andrade said. “I saw her at the (UFC Performance Institute) this week. We were talking about this. Most likely, she’s probably going to face Amanda Lemos next, and I would be fighting for a belt before her.
“Tatiana is injured, so she would face Amanda. I would go with (Weili). We’ve talked, Virna and I, about this, and said if we’re going to face each other, might as well be for a belt.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
