UFC 283 has an amazing card on display for the fans. The event will take place on January 21, 2023, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The event features two Brazilian fighters in the main and the co-main event in the form of Glover Teixeira and Deiveson Figueiredo respectively. However, they are not the only fighters from the country to fight on the card, as Jessica Andrade also makes her return in the event.
Jessica Andrade has jumped in-between two weight classes in her last few bouts. She KO’ed Cynthia Calvillo at UFC 266 in the flyweight division. She then came down in weight to submit Amanda Lemos in April 2022 at strawweight. But Andrade is ready to jump back up to flyweight to fight Lauren Murphy at UFC 283. It seems like she is eyeing a rematch against Valentina Shevchenko in the near future.
Lauren Murphy holds the better ranking in the flyweight division. Murphy has a win over former UFC champ Miesha Tate in her last fight. After a massive win like that, she occupied the joint 4th spot in the division. But Andrade is ranked just behind her at 6th. Hence the bout between them is perhaps the best way to determine the next title challenger.
The current champ Valentina is set to fight Alex Grasso at UFC 285 in March. So both Lauren and Jessica would be eyeing a win this weekend to be in prime position for the next title shot. So who wins between the two veteran fighters? Let’s find out!
UFC 283 Prediction: Lauren Murphy vs Jessica Andrade, Stats
| Stats | Lauren Murphy | Jessica Andrade |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 16 | 23 |
| Losses | 5 | 9 |
| Height | 1.65 m | 1.55 m |
| Division | Women’s Flyweight | Women’s Flyweight |
| Reach | 170.2 cm | 157.5 cm |
| Age | 39 | 31 |
Can Andrade knock out Murphy at UFC 283?
Jessica Andrade and Lauren Murphy are both sluggers. Lauren more so than Jessica. There was a six-fight stretch from 2014-2018 when Murphy lost 4 of her first 6 fights in the UFC. However, since her last loss to Sijara Eubanks, Lauren has 6 wins in her last 7 bouts. Her only loss was against the champ Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 266. She has 8 KOs and 1 submission win in her career.
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Despite not having as good of a ground game as Jessica, Lauren has never suffered a submission loss and is yet to be knocked out. Andrade, on the other hand, has 4 KO losses and 2 submission losses in her career. Most famously, Weili Zhang knocked her out in 42 seconds to dethrone her from the flyweight crown. So there is always a possibility that Lauren catches Jessica with a punch to turn her lights out.
However, there is no denying that Jessica Andrade is a much stronger and more powerful fighter. The last time Lauren came up against a powerful puncher in Valentina, it ended in a KO loss. The 31-year-old Brazilian fighter is obviously much more explosive on the feet. So Lauren would have to be careful about lunging forward to land strikes.
But both fighters have an equal amount of power. So it may result in a more grappling-heavy approach in the fight. Nicknamed “Bate Estaca,” Andrade has a takedown average of 2.85 per fight. She also has 8 submission wins in her career. Although Murphy has a takedown average of 1.11 per fight, she does have a 71% takedown defense.
So can the home fighter implement her superior skills on Murphy to win the fight this Saturday? Fans will find out on January 21, 2023.
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