ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reports that a rematch between former Strawweight Champions Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade is “Close to being finalized for UFC 249 on April 18, in Brooklyn, NY.”
Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade 2 is close to being finalized for UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, according to multiple sources.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 9, 2020
Namajunas lost the Strawweight Championship by TKO to Andrade at UFC 237 on May 11, 2018, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The fight was going Namajunas way up until she got slammed on her head from holding onto a kimura. Namajunas hinted at retirement after the fight but has changed her mind. Namajunas MMA record is 8-4 and is 6-3 in the UFC.
Andrade became the first Brazilian UFC Strawweight Champion beating Namajunas. Andrade lost the championship by TKO in 42 seconds to Weili Zhang at UFC Fight Night 157 on August 31, 2019, in Shenzhen, China. Andrade didn’t fight the rest of the year and is hoping to fight for the Strawweight Championship again. Andrade MMA record is 20-7 and is 11-5 in the UFC.