Jessica Andrade is focused on securing a victory for Brazil when she steps into the octagon against Jasmine Jasudavicius on May 10 at UFC 315. She acknowledges the specific challenges that the Canadian fighter presents.
Jasudavicius arrives at the event riding a four-fight winning streak, notably having defeated three Brazilian opponents during this run. Her victories include submission wins over Ariane Silva and Priscila Cachoeira, followed by a decision win against Mayra Bueno Silva. Andrade, a highly regarded jiu-jitsu black belt with a significant number of submission finishes among her 26 career MMA wins, stated she feels “prepared and relaxed” for this matchup.
Andrade commented on her readiness for the fight, explaining, “I don’t have to cut too much weight to compete in this weight class, so I’m happier than ever. And I’m ready for Jasmine’s game. I know she’s evolving on the feet, but her strongest weapon is the ground game. And you have to be a truck to take me down, so I think it’s going to be a very interesting fight.”
While ranked higher than Jasudavicius at 125 pounds, Andrade emphasized that her opponent is still “a dangerous opponent,” particularly given her recent success against Brazilian fighters. Andrade shared, “Everybody’s telling me like, ‘You have to stop her, she’s too cocky for beating Brazilians.’ I got this. I’ll do a good job and bring the win home. And then I’ll get to ask for a title shot at 115. Everything changes when you have a win on your record, especially after a win in a heavier weight class.”
Andrade`s recent fights at strawweight saw her secure a knockout victory over Mackenzie Dern and a split decision win against Marina Rodriguez. However, her move up to flyweight resulted in a decision loss to rising prospect Natalia Silva. The former UFC strawweight champion plans to compete at 125 pounds for UFC 315 but intends to move back down to 115 pounds in the future.
Explaining her current divisional choice, Andrade said, “My goal was to fight at 115, but there are no girls to fight there. Virna [Jandiroba] is someone I wouldn’t like to fight anytime soon. I like her a lot, we’re friends, and we’ve agreed that we’ll only fight if it’s for a belt. And there was nobody else to fight at 115. Amanda Ribas’ dad told me they wouldn’t fight me, so I have no options. The only option was to move up to 125 again and take this fight; otherwise, I would have no option but to stay sidelined for a long time. Right now, I’ll continue fighting at both, but my plan is to stay at 115.”
She elaborated on the situation with Amanda Ribas, stating, “I met Amanda’s dad in the UFC, and he told me the UFC offered them a fight with me, and they said no, only if it’s for the belt or something like a title eliminator. Other than that, he said they wouldn’t fight me. I like them as well. It’s getting hard [to get fights] at 115, the division isn’t moving, and I’ve fought almost all the girls already. I think there are only three or four there that I haven’t fought before.”
Following UFC 315, Andrade`s top priority is to face a high-ranked strawweight contender. She believes a victory over a promising flyweight prospect, especially on enemy territory, would significantly boost her pursuit of a championship opportunity. Her ideal scenario, as she envisions it, involves achieving a perfect 4-0 record in 2025, culminating in claiming a championship title by December.
Andrade shared her immediate thoughts on potential opponents, saying, “I even thought they would give me Alexa [Grasso] now, but she has a fight booked [vs. Natalia Silva at UFC 315], so I’ll just wait. It depends on what happens in my fight now. I hope I don’t let it go the distance, end this before the third round, and can call someone out. I wanna win this fight and ask for a title shot — or someone close to it.”
