In her first fight since a losing effort against strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade returned with a career-best effort as she defeated No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha via unanimous decision in a clash of two of Brazil’s best.
Scores were 30-25, 30-26 and 30-27.
Gadelha ripped off hard combinations with regularity as the bout commenced, landing with an audible pop as she beat her foe to the punch and opened a cut on her forehead. With under two minutes left, Andrade got back into it with a thunderous slam, and while Gadelha countered with a guillotine choke attempt, “Bate Estaca” slipped loose and then began landing with hard ground strikes.
Gadelha opened up the second stanza with a takedown, only to see Andrade pop right back up to her feet. The proceeded to scramble, with Andrade ending up on top on the mat, where she worked on the cut over Gadelha’s left eye. Gadelha soon rose and the two traded punches, Andrade now taking control as fatigue started to set in on “Claudinha.” But with seconds remaining, Gadelha nearly sunk in a guillotine choke only interrupted by the horn ending the round.
After a respectful hug to begin the final frame, it was back to work for the two Brazilian battlers, and after a failed shot by Gadelha, Andrade slammed her opponent to the mat. Andrade’s work rate on the mat was relentless, and she dug punches in to the body and head. With 90 seconds left, Andrade moved into side control and kept the pressure on, and while Gadelha made it to her feet, she had nothing left for a final surge in the closing seconds.
