Andrade eyes Shevchenko superfight if she beats Zhang

Strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, would like to test herself against flyweight champ, Valentina Shevchenko.

The UFC strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, guarantees she is not overlooking the next challenger to her title, Weili Zhang, but has also already made plans for the future should she defeat her opponent in August.

In an interview with Portal do Vale Tudo, ‘Bate-Estaca’ revealed a desire to have a superfight against reigning women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, in a bout Andrade believes would be a nice challenge to see how much she has evolved as an MMA fighter so far.

“That’s a fight I would really like to have,” Andrade said. “I believe that, if I win my next fight, which is my most important fight at the moment, who knows, I might ask for this Shevchenko fight. She’s the best at flyweight, so it would be a cool test for me.

“I really like her, I always hug her, greet her and talk to her everywhere we meet,” she continued. “She’s really nice, but I want to test myself, too, I want to see what level I’m at, if I have really improved. If I defend my title now, I do want to ask for the chance to fight Valentina and become a champion in two different weight classes.”

In her last outing, Jessica Andrade (20-6) became the champion after beating Rose Namajunas with a highlight-reel slam knockout. Before the win, the 27-year-old already had victories over the likes of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Tecia Torres and Claudia Gadela. Andrade’s last loss happened in May 2017, when she dropped a unanimous decision to then-champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Jessica is expected to take on Weili Zhang at UFC Fight Night 157’s main event, in Shenzhen, China, on August 31.