The fourth strawweight champion in UFC history hails from Brazil. And after fighting past plenty of adversity in the first round of her UFC 237 main event, Jessica Andrade is that champion, as she stopped Rose Namajunas in the second round at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Back in action for the first time since April of 2018, Namajunas came out fast, shooting a stiff jab in between fakes and right hands. Before the first minute was done, Andrade was cut over the left eye, and even though “Bate Estaca” aggressively went after the champion, Namajunas kept scoring at will. Andrade tried to slam Namajunas but nearly got caught in an armbar, allowing the Milwaukee native to get back to her feet. With 1:30 left, Namajunas sent Andrade stumbling to the canvas with a knee, and after some ground strikes, it was back to the feet.
The stick and move attack of Namajunas continued to pay dividends in round two, and while Andrade kept throwing and charging, too often the Brazilian was left hitting air. But as the two locked up against the fence, Andrade again lifted Namajunas for a slam, and this time it hit in devastating fashion, as Namajunas landed on her head and was stunned. Two strikes followed, with referee Marc Goddard stopping the fight at the 2:58 mark of the second round.
With the win, Rio de Janeiro’s Andrade moves to 20-6. Denver’s Namajunas, who was making the second defense of her title, falls to 9-4.
