Andrade Faces Namajunas In Rematch
Jessica Andrade has been asked to travel to the United States as soon as possible.
The former strawweight champion is currently in Brazil where because of the coronavirus pandemic, she is training solely in her garage ahead of her UFC 249 co-main event fight with Rose Namajunas on April 18.
UFC 249 has already taken a hit with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov seemingly out of his headliner with Tony Ferguson because of a cross-border travel ban in Russia.
To avoid a similar situation, the UFC has requested Andrade to head to Las Vegas either on Tuesday or Wednesday according to MMA Fighting. Brazil has already closed its borders to people entering the country; however, it doesn’t affect those departing for other countries — at least for now.
Andrade is still willing to fight Namajunas despite the current global situation. However, she has no qualms if the event gets canceled either.
“If the fight is in Brooklyn, Las Vegas or any other place that is safe, I’ll fight,” Andrade said earlier this month. “I’ve fought in some many different places in the world, even China, so location doesn’t affect much. It’s about taking care of yourself and staying safe. I’m training hard and focused. I’m sure everything will be alright with time, the number of cases will go down, this virus will go away, and then we’ll find out where we’re fighting. God willing, this fight will happen somewhere.
“… We are worried because we have families, elders at home, father and mother who live away from us, so our biggest concern is about the human being,” Andrade said. “Financially speaking, I’m fine. Even if the fight doesn’t happen I can get along just fine until my next fight. We’re praying that everyone stays safe and this virus goes away. That’s what really affects us. You see people dying in Italy, and their families can’t even see them, you don’t know where to bury them.”
The next few days should reveal a lot more as to whether UFC 249 — which still has an undisclosed location — takes place.
