MORRISTOWN, N.J. – For her most recent octagon appearance in February, Jessica Andrade took a tough fight with Erin Blanchfield on one weeks’ notice and lost by second-round rear-naked choke submission. While losing wasn’t ideal, the former UFC strawweight champion admits she didn’t exactly enter the headlining flyweight bout with the right mindset.
Or the right outfit apparently.
All that did was make the situation worse while Blanchfield was draped on her back looking for the finish.
“First of all, I never underestimated her or anything of the sort. I knew it was gonna be a hard fight, a tough opponent. But I was not training for that fight,” Andrade said Wednesday during UFC 288 media day. “I was kind of loose. I just came in ‘very happy to be here,’ happy to be in the fight, happy to make weight and actually show up for it. But even I think she did mention the Jessica that (she) faced is not the Jessica that (she knows) in that fight. I think I was actually striking pretty well with her. My takedown defense was pretty good.
“And then I worried about my top, because it was kind of running there, exposing me. At that point, I was not focused enough on the fight, and I let this one thing kind of stabilize me. And what happened? Got down to the ground. Even in the locker room, coach said, ‘What is the one thing that you cannot let happen? Don’t give your back.’ And, well, this is the learning experience I’ve had. First of all, don’t give your back to Erin Blanchfield. And also focus. Focus on the fight at all times. Don’t let a small thing take the focus off the big thing, because that’s what happened right there. You saw it.”
A wardrobe malfunction. That’s what got the best of Andrade and contributed to her three-fight winning streak being snapped.
Now Andrade (24-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) returns for her third fight this year on Saturday when she meets Yan Xiaonan (16-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a 115-pound fight on the pay-per-view main card at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. And when she does, she’ll have a new look.
Andrade said that, given what happened in the Blanchfield fight, she’s ditching the sports bra for a dry-fit shirt.
“Yes, especially because of the weight now. It’s even lower,” Andrade said. “I had the extra small and asked to make it really tight. I don’t want it to happen. I don’t want anything to be running. I don’t want anything to be exposed. Do not worry. I’m gonna even look fat a little bit. You’re gonna see some fat coming from (some spots), it’s gonna be so tight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
