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When former UFC women's strawweight champion Jessica Andrade fought Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295 in November 2023, it was her fifth competitive appearance of the year.
With a Round 2 TKO win over Dern, Andrade snapped her three-fight losing skid and the threat of being pushed further down in the official UFC rankings. One can't help but wonder why the Brazilian fighter fought so frequently despite back-to-back losses instead of taking time off to improve her skill set.
Speaking about it on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast, Andrade revealed the reason behind fighting five times in 2023. She said:
“This year I had my divorce that has taken a lot of my money in paying for lawyers and things here and there, so I ended up taking five fights. It will be over this year, God willing, and I’ll be fine. [I fought five times in 2023] because of that, because of the divorce. I had to spend a lot of money with lawyers in Brazil, it’s too much bureaucracy.” [H/T MMA Fighting]
Who was Jessica Andrade married to?
Jessica Andrade was married to Fernanda Gomes. She has also been seen cornering Andrade in her fights over the last several years. Andrade's first UFC title fight opportunity came in May 2017 when she fought Joanna Jedrzejcyk for the strawweight title. While the Brazilian came up short in the title fight, she proposed to Gomes inside the octagon.
"Today I'd like to make a special request to my girlfriend, who's here, Fernanda, I want to ask her in marriage."
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan confirmed that Gomes had accepted the proposal.
Check out the interaction below (3:54):
The couple tied the knot in 2019. While 'Bate Estaca' has credited her wife for being a source of support over the years, it appears that things turned sour between the two, culminating in a divorce in 2023. The exact reasons for their divorce are not known.
When Jessica Andrade opened up about her divorce at the UFC 295 media day
While Jessica Andrade was struggling with divorce-related expenses, one of her opponents, Mackenzie Dern, was also in the same boat and was dealing with a public feud with her ex-husband Wesley Santos ahead of their UFC 295 clash.
Heading into the fight, Dern commented that she and Andrade would be taking their stress out on each other when they are locked inside the octagon. On the UFC 295 media day, Andrade was asked to elaborate on the situation. She replied:
"She's going through that, I'm going through it as well. We're going to go in there and let our demons out. I actually have gone through what she's gone through even longer because my divorce started earlier than hers... When the fight is over, we're going to exchange information about how our divorces are going." [Via translator]
Catch Andrade's comments below:
Andrade seems to have brought her life back on track in recent months. She is currently on a two-fight win streak and will return to action against fellow Brazilian Natalia Silva at UFC Vegas 97 on Sept. 7.
