Jessica Andrade sees a big potential reward from her next fight.
The former UFC strawweight champion returns to the cage Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. She takes on unbeaten contender Tatiana Suarez.
Suarez (9-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is a tough fight for anyone in the division, but also one that could bring a big reward. Coming off two consecutive losses, Andrade (24-11 MMA, 15-9 UFC) thinks a win could put her back in title contention.
“Inside the UFC, I already broke a lot of records and beat some fighters that had never been knocked out before, so I think it would just be one more fight,” Andrade told MMA Junkie through a translator. “I have a lot of experience. A win over Tatiana would be a good thing for my career because this fight could put me close to a title shot soon. I think I would have to do another fight after I win against Tatiana, (but) this puts me a victory away.”
As far as what exactly could that fight be, Andrade isn’t really sure, given the state of the strawweight division. She thinks she’ll have a better idea after the upcoming strawweight title fight between champion Zhang Weili and challenger Amanda Lemos at UFC 292 on Aug. 19.
“It’s a hard question to answer because our division is a little messy,” Andrade said. “If Amanda wins against Weili, Weili will get a rematch. If Weili wins against Amanda, she’ll fight against Yan Xionanan in China, probably. So I don’t know who I will face next, but I’m here to fight, and the UFC will decide, and I will be ready with whatever they put in front.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.
