“At strawweight, I already had three years experience competing with some of the best in the world and had already been able to get some more structure in my personal and professional life. I was making more money, which means I was able to invest more in myself, and my development as a fighter.
“At bantamweight, I was already pretty confident, but when I was facing girls my own size, that went through the roof and made all the difference in my performances and in how I looked at the sport,” she continued. “Now at flyweight you are seeing the happiest version of me; I don’t have to cut much weight, so I can focus on training and improving. This was the main weight class I competed in before entering the UFC and it is the one I believe I can have the most longevity in.
“Getting to flyweight was a breath of fresh air,” Andrade added. “It gave me a level of happiness, especially on fight week, that I haven’t felt in years, and when I’m happy I am very dangerous.”
As happy and dangerous as she may be — and the Brazilian powerhouse is, in fact, both — Andrade is fully aware of the challenge she’s facing when she steps into the Octagon with Shevchenko on Saturday night.
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“I have watched Valentina for a long time,” began Andrade, discussing the champion’s repertoire and what her best path to victory may be this weekend. “Back when she was still competing in Peru, we had some teammates fighting at the same events.
“She has always been a very complete fighter. Even though she is a Muay Thai fighter, you know that even in Muay Thai she was never a very traditional Muay Thai fighter; she used a lot of clinches and throws even there.
“On paper, the best route would be to do something like Jennifer Maia was able to do in one round of their fight,” continued the challenger, citing her countrywoman’s efforts to close the distance, work from the clinch, and take the fight to the canvas when she faced Shevchenko at UFC 255. “If I can get close, I know I can take her down and work from top position.
“But in a five-round fight, I have 25 minutes to connect my hands, so even if the fight is entirely on our feet, I still believe I can hurt her there.”
