Jessica Andrade eyes title rematch with Zhang Weili after UFC 283 win: ‘I really want it to be in Brazil’
Off the back of a dominant unanimous decision victory over one-time flyweight title chaser, Lauren Murphy at UFC 283 in her native Brazil last weekend, former strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade has sights on securing a title rematch with Zhang Weili – this time on her own home soil.
Andrade, the current #4 ranked strawweight contender, made her flyweight division return on the main card of UFC 283 last Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro, landing a one-sided unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26) victory over the Anchorage native at the Jeunesse Arena.
A former champion at 155lbs, Andrade managed to defeat former two-time division best, Rose Namajunas in the main event of UFC 237 in 2019, landing a vicious slam KO win over the former to clinch the undisputed title.
In her first attempted title defense, Andrade headlined a UFC Fight Night Shenzhen card in August of that year, dropping her championship in just 42-seconds to Weili who land a quickfire flurry at the Octagon fence.
Jessica Andrade eyes title rematch with Zhang Weili
Eyeing up a championship rematch off the back of her decision win over Murphy, Andrade called for the fight to take place in her native Brazil this go round.
“I feel like now is the opportunity for the belt,” Jessica Andrade told assembled media through an interpreter following UFC 283. “I want to fight for the belt at 52 kilos (115lbs) or 57 (kilos) (125lbs), if the opportunity arises as well.”
“I really want that rematch with (Zhang) Weili,” Jessica Andrade explained. “I really wanted it to be in Brazil. I went to China, so I think that would be fair. The rematch would be really cool. That’s the next step: Have the rematch with Weili.”
3-0 since suffering a dominant flyweight title loss to Valentina Shevchenko in 2021, Andrade stopped Cynthia Calvillo with strikes, before submitting compatriot, Amanda Lemos in stunning fashion last April with a standing arm-triangle win, prior to Saturday’s decision win over Murphy.
