Former Strawweight Champion Jessica Andrade was the first UFC fighter to ever win by standing arm triangle submission. She will face Tatiana Suarez in the strawweight division in the co-main event in Nashville on Saturday. Tatiana is undefeated at 10-0. That is not the whole story. She beat current champion Alexa Grasso five years ago by a rear-naked choke. In her next fight, she beat former strawweight champion Carla Esparza by TKO in round two. Injuries followed and Tatiana needed four years away from the UFC to mend. She came back in February to beat Montana De La Rosa at flyweight. Tatiana is now back at her fighting weight in the 115 division and looks to get back on the contender track following her layoff.
Tatiana comes in as a heavy -375 favorite in her second visit back to the Octagon since her injuries. Andrade is not an easy opponent but is coming off two straight losses. She was clearly outclassed by third-ranked Yan Xiaonan at UFC 288 in May, losing early by punches in the first round. Her other loss came at flyweight to rising star Erin Blanchfield, again being outclassed and losing by a rear-naked choke. Prior to her two losses, she had wins against high ranked Lauren Murphy and the amazing standing arm triangle submission against third-ranked Amanda Lemos.
Both fighters have the ability to win by submission, but it probably will not come to that. If Andrade comes out with her foot on the gas like she did against Yan, it will not go well for her again. This is Jessica’s 25th fight in the UFC. She will be a great test for Tatiana’s comeback. Look for her to be much more cautious this time out after two straight losses. Tatiana will take advantage of this and take the fight to the ground, controlling her way to a unanimous decision victory.
Thank you for reading my UFC article. Head to my Belly Up Sports Page. Follow me on Twitter. For more articles on the UFC and all other sports go to Belly Up Sports.
