Jessica Andrade Thought She Was Going To Get Shot During Carjacking

UFC women’s strawweight champion Jessica Andrade detailed the scary incident that saw her and her wife, Fernanda Gomes, carjacked in their native Brazil late last month.

The incident occurred when the couple were driving their dark gray Honda HRV in Icarai, before the perpetrators stopped them at a red light:

“The lights went red, and I slowed down,” Andrade told ESPN. “I saw a motorcycle close, and when I realized he was already by my side, I wasn’t quite aware of what was going on. I thought he was going to ask me something. When I saw the gun, I was like, ‘Oh crap.'”

“I wasn’t understanding the whole deal. I got out of the car, but I didn’t see him pointing the gun at me at any time.”

There was a particularly scary moment for Andrade when the criminals were trying to get away with the car, but did not know how to operate the hand brake:

“My car’s hand brake is a button that was pressed,” Andrade added. “He didn’t know that and was having trouble to make the car go. I was like, ‘Oh great. Now he’s going to get out of the car and shoot us. We’re screwed.’ Until Fernanda told them about the hand brake. They managed to do it and went away.”

These sorts of incidents are known to be common in Brazil, and Andrade claims she was lucky she was not recognized by the perpetrators:

“I had a white cloth on my head, and I kept my head down … ” she added. “If the guy tries to rob you unarmed, then you can use self-defense. But when he has a gun, don’t put your life at risk.

“People think I’m rich. Well, I’m not. I’m poor just like everybody else. If someone kidnaps me, they’re getting nothing but a candy, a gum.”

The incident occurred just a few weeks after Andrade became the new 115-pound champion. She defeated Rose Namajunas via slam knockout in the main event of UFC 237 last month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.