The Unshakable Confidence of Jessica Andrade

Adversity only seems to embolden Jessica Andrade.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight titleholder will attempt to rebound from back-to-back defeats to Erin Blanchfield and Xiaonan Yan when she meets Tatiana Suarez in the UFC on ESPN 50 co-main event this Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Despite her current drought, Andrade remains confident in her abilities.

“I’m always feeling positive,” she told Sherdog.com. “Losses are part of our careers. Of course, I don’t feel comfortable coming off two losses and I do understand the importance of this next bout, but whenever I’ve found myself in this situation, I always came back with great wins over very tough opponents. I’m well-prepared and peaceful going into this next fight. I know what I have to do.”

The unbeaten Suarez owns a 9-0 record that includes six wins in the UFC. She won Season 23 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series in 2016 and looked like a surefire future contender. However, injuries have limited her to just five appearances in six-plus years since. Suarez last competed at UFC Fight Night 220, where she returned from a 1,358-day layoff and submitted Montana De La Rosa with a guillotine choke in the second round of their Feb. 25 encounter.

“Tatiana is a very tough opponent,” Andrade said. “Her record shows clearly who she is and her fighting style, but I’m feeling right at home. I’ve worked on takedowns and takedown defense my entire life. She may be a wrestler, but I’ve faced many wrestlers already. I feel I’m very ready. Even though she’s ranked at No. 10, she’s undefeated, so a good win can propel me closer to the belt. Plus, I love challenges.”

No woman in UFC history has drawn more assignments with the promotion than Andrade, who has taken 24 fights inside the Octagon. Though she has competed as a strawweight, flyweight and bantamweight since she joined the company in in 2013, the 31-year-old Brazilian would prefer not to bounce around anymore.

“My focus now is to stay at 115 pounds,” Andrade said. “That’s my weight class. It’s where I want to be champion again. Of course, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. If a good opportunity comes at 125 pounds, I will be available, no doubt, but my focus currently is to stay at 115 and to get another win so I can stay high in the rankings. That way, I can have a shot at the belt by next year. For that to happen, I have to do well in a single weight class. I’m working hard to be the No. 1 contender or the champion next year.”