Tag Archives: Tiago Okamura

 Jessica Andrade to Face Tatiana Suarez in Co-Main Event of UFC Nashville

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 Jessica Andrade is readying for one of the UFC’s biggest non-title fights at strawweight.

The 31-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a former UFC women’s strawweight champion, will face the undefeated Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event of UFC Nashville on August 5, the promotion announced Tuesday.

Jessica Andrade

Suarez was initially scheduled to face Virna Jandiroba, but Jandiroba suffered a torn ligament in her knee that could keep her out quite a while, according to Jandiroba’s manager Tiago Okamura.

In the UFC’s contender rankings, Andrade is ranked No. 5 and Suarez is No. 10 at 115 pounds.

Andrade (24-11) will try to snap a two-fight losing streak.

The Brazilian-born fighter is coming off a knockout loss to Yan Xiaonan at UFC 288 last month. Andrade beat Rose Namajunas to win the UFC women’s strawweight title in 2019. She has the second-most wins in women’s UFC history (15).

Suarez (9-0) returned from nearly four years out due to injuries in February with a second-round submission win over Montana De La Rosa in the flyweight division. The California native won “The Ultimate Fighter” at strawweight back in 2016 but has fought just five times since because of injury issues.

Suarez, 32, nearly made the 2012 U.S. wrestling Olympics team but had to withdraw because of a neck injury and thyroid cancer.

UFC Nashville will be headlined by a bantamweight contest between striker Cory Sandhagen and rising prospect Umar Nurmagomedov, the cousin of former pound-for-pound king Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Jessica Andrade Filling In for Taila Santos in This Week’s UFC Fight Night

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Jessica Andrade is stepping up to the Octagon…

The 31- year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former UFC women’s strawweight champion will fill in for Taila Santos in the UFC Fight Night main event on February 18 in Las Vegas.

Jessica AndradeAndrade will face top prospect Erin Blanchfield in a women’s flyweight contender bout.

Santos’ cornermen, including her husband, Pedro Barbosa, were denied visas multiple times, according to Santos’ manager Tiago Okamura. The team waited until a final denial Friday, Okamura said, and Santos decided to withdraw from the bout rather than compete without a corner.

ESPN has Andrade ranked No. 2 in the world at women’s flyweight. Blanchfield is unranked but could get a title shot with a win over Andrade.

Andrade (24-9) has won three straight. The Brazilian-born fighter who trains out of Las Vegas is coming off a dominant, unanimous-decision win over Lauren Murphy at UFC 283 last month. Andrade was the UFC women’s strawweight champion in 2019.

Blanchfield (10-1) has won seven straight, including her first four in the UFC. The New Jersey native is coming off a first-round submission win over Molly McCann at UFC 281 last November. Blanchfield, 23, was ranked No. 2 on ESPN‘s top 25 fighters under 25 years old for 2022.

Marina Rodriguez to Fight Amanda Lemos at UFC 280

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Marina Rodriguez has lined up her next opponent…

The 35-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist will face Amanda Lemos at UFC 280 on October 22 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Marina RodriguezRodriguez and Lemos, two of the top women’s strawweight fighters in the world, form part of one of the UFC‘s deepest cards of the year.

The winner of the bout could have the inside track on a title shot. Rodriguez is the No. 4 women’s strawweight in ESPN‘s rankings, while Lemos is No. 9.

In addition, sources told ESPN that Rodriguez and former UFC women’s strawweight champion Jessica Andrade have left manager Tiago Okamura to sign with Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, who represents the likes of welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former pound-for-pound king Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Rodriguez (16-1-2 overall, 6-1-2 UFC) has won four straight and is coming off a split decision win over Yan Xiaonan at UFC 272 in March. The Brazilian fighter’s only career loss was a close split decision defeat to current UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza in 2020.

Lemos (12-2-1), also 35, has won six of her past seven fights, including a second-round submission victory over Michelle Waterson this past weekend at UFC Long Island. The Brazilian fighter’s only loss since 2017 came to Andrade in April. Lemos has finished four of her six wins inside the UFC Octagon.

UFC 280 will be headlined by a fight between former champion Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title. Also on the card, lightweight standouts Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot will meet in a potential title eliminator.