Jessica Andrade recently commented on her upcoming fight against Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295 and appeared to reveal that she and her spouse are divorcing legally.
Before being stopped by Erin Blanchfield, Yan Xiaonan, and Tatiana Suarez in 2023, Jessica Andrade defeated Cynthia Calvillo, Amanda Lemos, and Lauren Murphy to obtain a shot at the UFC title again. This Saturday’s fight against Mackenzie Dern in New York will be her fifth of the year, and Andrade explains why, in spite of the unfavorable outcomes, she has been so active lately.
“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,” Andrade said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast. “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.”
For a number of years, Jessica Andrade has been wed to her lifelong companion, Fernanda Gomes, who also corners the former strawweight champion. The couple was married in Las Vegas in 2019, and Andrade has always expressed gratitude to Gomes for his support over the years.
Without a doubt, Andrade will be motivated by her losses to end the slide. Mackenzie Dern, though, won’t be an easy opponent. She is 3-2 in her previous five fights and recently defeated Angela Hill by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 73 in May.
Jessica Andrade on Mackenzie Dern’s fighting style
During the UFC 295 presser, Jessica talked about Mackenzie Dern’s fighting style.
“I think it’s a fight that should’ve happened in the past, but it’s finally happening. As far as style, she’s definitely got an edge in the jiu-jitsu and her ground game, but as far as stand-up game, she’s gotten better in striking, but I don’t think she’s at my level. I’m at a very high level of striking. I got that style against her.”