At UFC Vegas 52 last weekend, former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade defeated Amanda Lemos in the opening round of the main event. The slick submission win was also awarded with a Performance Of The Night bonus.
Read more: UFC Vegas 52 results: Jessica Andrade stops Amanda Lemos
After losing a split-decision to Rose Namajunas back in 2020, Andrade moved up to the flyweight division. There she fought three times, including a title bout against Valentina Shevchenko, before deciding to have another run at the strawweight title.
The move back to 115-pound payed off in the rankings as she now returned to the Top five of the stacked division. Andrade currently holds the No. 6 spot on the women’s pound-for-pound rankings aswell.
What’s next for Jessica Andrade?
There is tight at the strawweight top at the moment.
Champion Rose Namajunas is facing No. 2 ranked Carla Esparza on May 7. The two met back in 2014 for the inaugural UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship. A fight Esparza won by a third-round submission.
For No.1 ranked Zhang Weili the highly anticipated rematch with former champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk has just being finalized. The two met back in 2020 in what became one of the absolute best fights of the year.
A fight with No. 3 Marina Rodriguez or No. 4 Mackenzie Dern would therefore be interesting for Jessica Andrade.
Here’s the updated UFC rankings for strawweight
Champion: Rose Namajunas
1. Zhang Weili
2. Carla Esparza
3. Marina Rodriguez
4. Mackenzie Dern
5. Jessica Andrade *NEW
6. Yan Xiaonan -1
7. Nina Nunes -1
8. Tecia Torres -1
9. Amanda Ribas -1
10. Michelle Waterson -1
11. Amanda Lemos -1
12. Virna Jandiroba -1
13. Angela Hill -1
14. Jessica Penne -1
15. Brianna Van Buren -1
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