Jessica Andrade became the new strawweight champion last night after she knocked out Rose Namajunas by a slam, which was followed up by punches.
The Brazilian attempted the slam a few times in the first round, but in the second round, it worked. She made the necessary adjustments in between rounds thanks in part to her corner.
“I noticed she was dodging (my strikes), blood got in my eyes and I couldn’t see anything, but I stayed calm because the strategy was right,” Andrade said, speaking about her performance at the post-fight press conference. “I spoke with my master in between rounds and he said that I had already felt her hands, that I knew what could happen (transcript via MMAFighting). ‘So let’s keep going because everything will be alright now. Keep working on those kicks because she’s getting tired.’ And it worked.
“When I put her against the fence, he said, ‘Go for it, go for it because it will work.’ I couldn’t believe I went for the pile driver.”
Why Andrade kept going for the slam was simple. It was her go-to move, and she knew the way Namajunas was defending it, she could work around it and still get the slam.
“I believe the pile driver worked because she kept holding my arm and I think she was going for a submission, but since I took her too high and moved her over my head and threw her, there was no way, she fell on her face and went out immediately.”
