If women’s MMA had a Mount Rushmore of knockout artists, Jessica Andrade would surely be on it.
The former UFC Strawweight Champion is still one of the most dangerous women to wear a pair of UFC gloves with finishes spanning over three different weight classes.
Whether it’s by tap-out or more likely knockout, Jessica Andrade has slept top names in the sport including Rose Namajunas via slam KO to win the world title in 2019.
Andrade’s nickname ‘Bate Estaca’ translates to ‘pile driver’, the Brazilian fighter known for her overwhelming strength.
On her way to becoming UFC Champion, Andrade dominated three former title challengers, Claudia Gadelha with her wrestling and Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jessica Penne with her power.
Andrade became the first and only fighter to KO Kowalkiewicz, whose chin has truly stood the test of time across 25 fights.
Joe Rogan said Jessica Andrade fought like a ‘young Wanderlei Silva’ before one-punch KO
A Polish rival of all-time great Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the 12-2 Kowalkiewicz was coming off back-to-back wins when she met Andrade at UFC 228 in Dallas in Sep. 2018.
As soon as the opening bell rang, Andrade wasted no time, walking forward with big, looping hooks in the first 7 seconds of the fight. Andrade found a home for her kill-shots with Kowalkiewicz already on the ropes 10 seconds in.
“Andrade reminds me of a young Wanderlei Silva,” UFC commentator Joe Rogan said of Andrade putting Kowalkiewicz on the retreat early with a barrage of punches.
Andrade continued to press forward, unbothered by the strikes coming back her way. Kowalkiewicz looked to be growing in confidence standing and trading with Andrade before she ultimately paid the price in the pocket.
“We’ve never seen that!” Daniel Cormier said as Andrade laid out Kowalkiewicz on the canvas with a devastating right hook two minutes in.
“With respect to Holly Holm and the rest, you might have just seen the most impressive knockout in women’s UFC history,” Jon Anik said of Andrade’s KO at UFC 228, which earned her a title fight against Rose Namajunas in 2019.
Jessica Andrade defends ranking against rising contender at UFC 315
Likened to former Pride Champion, ‘The Axe Murderer’ Wanderlei Silva for her violent fighting style, the fan-favorite Andrade returns to action this weekend at UFC 315 in Montreal, Canada.
Though, the fans won’t be on her side for this one as Andrade battles the #9 flyweight contender from Ontario, Jasmine Jasudavicius, who’s an impressive 7-2 in the UFC.
Jasudavicius wouldn’t be far from a title shot with a win over a marquee name in Jessica Andrade but make no mistake, at 33 years old, Andrade is still very much chasing the title in hopes of becoming a two-division champion one day.
The Brazilian KO artist has lost to current champions Zhang Weili and Valentina Shevchenko. Andrade’s ranked #7 in at 125lbs, having won two of her last three fights. She attempts to bounce back from loss to Natalia Silva in her last fight from September.