UFC fighter Jessica Andrade – 5 things you probably don't know about the MMA challenger defeated by Bruce Lee fan Zhang Weili

Apr 17 , 2020

Don’t call her a light weight – strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Photo: Instagram

The former UFC women’s strawweight champion came from humble beginnings in São Paulo, Brazil, to make a name for herself, her way – despite her slight height

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jessica Andrade may have been pummelled by China’s Zhang Weili – but that doesn’t mean that she’s out for the count. She’s still number one in the UFC women’s strawweight rankings and in the top five in UFC women’s pound-for-pound rankings.

The following are five things you probably didn’t know about this powerful young woman.

She comes from a humble background

Jessica Andrade was born in Brazil, to parents who were both rural farmers. Both Jessica and her brother Fernando worked on their parents’ plantation until prohibitions on underage labour put a stop to the practice.

Even so, she remained a hard worker throughout her teen years, working at a fish-and-pay pond and later as a delivery person for a local chemist.

She once wanted to be a soccer player

Given the fact that soccer is probably the most popular sport in the South American nation, it’s not surprising that Jessica Andrade once aspired to be a professional soccer player. But it was not to be.

While she did well at the sport, and even got an offer to play for a São Paulo club, her parents wouldn’t allow her to move to take up the offer. While their decision was likely a huge disappointment for young Jessica, it may have been for the best as she began the training that has led to her current career path.