RIO DE JANEIRO – Former UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade put on an absolute clinic in her home country.
Andrade (24-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) picked off Lauren Murphy seemingly at every turn in their bout at UFC 283, leading to final scorecards that saw a total of five 10-8 scores issued between the three official judges. The women’s flyweight bout was part of the UFC 283 main card at Jeunesse Arena.
Andrade gauged the distance for a few moments before ramping up the forward pressure. Powerful punches began to find their mark, and she kept Murphy (16-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) off guard by landing a nice jumping front switch kick. Midway through the round, Murphy was bloodied from punches as Andrade’s blitzes of strikes scored over and over. It was a sign of more things to come.
Murphy attempted to change levels and get the fight to the mat, but Andrade wasn’t having it. As the crowd began to chant for Andrade, more combinations landed.
Murphy got a takedown and took the back, but the moment lasted just a few seconds before Andrade returned to her feet and put together more strikes before the horn.
The story of the fight would not change much over the next two rounds.
Andrade continued to beat Murphy to the punch at virtually every sequence. Murphy’s attempts to change levels and mount significant offense of her own failed repeatedly. Andrade found her mark at will, and referee Osiris Maia probably could have stopped the action at any point in the third round without much protest.
The judges’ scores read 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26 in Andrade’s favor, indicating the one-sided nature of the bout.
Put on a show for the fans at home!
🇧🇷@JessicaMMAPro takes the unanimous decision at #UFC283 pic.twitter.com/HPjl3kEicr
— UFC (@ufc) January 22, 2023
With the win, Andrade extends her current winning streak to three. The former strawweight champ entered on the heels of back-to-back first-round finishes against Cynthia Calvillo and Amanda Lemos. The Brazilian holds the No. 4 spot in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, and is in prime position to challenge for the title again.
Murphy hoped to make it two straight after a win over former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate last July, but Andrade’s power and striking blitzes were too much to handle.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 283 results include:
- Jessica Andrade def. Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
- Johnny Walker def. Paul Craig via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:16
- Ihor Potieria def. Mauricio Rua via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:05
- Brunno Ferreira def. Gregory Rodrigues via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:13
- Thiago Moises def. Melquizael Costa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:05
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Mounir Lazzez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:49
- Jailton Almeida def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:56
- Cody Stamann def. Luan Lacerda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ismael Bonfim def. Terrance McKinney via knockout (knee) – Round 2, 2:17
- Nicolas Dalby def. Warlley Alves via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Josiane Nunes def. Zarah Fairn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Daniel Marcos def. Saimon Oliveira via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:18
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.
