Jessica Andrade is one of the toughest fighters in women’s MMA. The Brazilian fighter is a former strawweight champion in the UFC. Furthermore, she has notable victories over top female fighters like Rose Namajunas, Amanda Lemos, and Lauren Murphy. However, she has been on a devastating 3-fight losing streak due to a very personal reason.
‘Bate Estaca’ is undergoing a legal separation from her wife after three years of marriage. Furthermore, this is the main reason for taking her fifth fight in the year 2023. During her media day for UFC 295, she revealed about her divorce. “This year I had my divorce which has taken a lot of money…so I ended up taking five fights,” said Andrade in the Trocacao Franca podcast.
Andrade started dating her ex-wife, Fernanda Gomes, in the year 2011. After eight years of relationship, ‘Bata Estaca’ proposed to Fernanda. During the post-fight interview after her epic fight with Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 211, they got married in the year 2019.
While Jessica Andrade has not stated the exact reason for the divorce, she claimed that the formal proceedings will be over by the end of 2023. However, Andrade said that she would be exchanging information about her divorce with her opponent, Mackenzie Dern.
Furthermore, she has stated that her recent losses were due to the divorce procedure, as she was just focused on making money. According to a report by Sportsdaily, Andrade’s combined fight purse of $2 million was not good enough for her divorce settlement. Currently, there are no reports of her dating someone else.
How was Jessica Andrade’s ex-wife involved in her MMA career?
Jessica Andrade’s ex-wife, Fernanda Gomes, is a biologist by profession, but she was a part of Andrade’s MMA corner team. Gomes used to handle the diet and nutritional aspects of Jessica Andrade’s training. Furthermore, she was always supportive and acted as a motivational source for Jessica during her fights.
Just like Andrade, Gomes is also based out of Brazil. Apart from being a biologist, she also used to practice jiu-jitsu with ‘Bata Estaca’. Gomes came into the limelight when both she and Andrade were robbed at gunpoint in Brazil in the year 2019. The attackers took their cars and cellphones, but both of them were safe.
New UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade robbed at gunpoint in Brazil | https://t.co/ZxZ2McIfqD pic.twitter.com/DoDgHNeug9
— The Mac Life (@TheMacLife) May 31, 2019
Furthermore, Jessica joined OnlyFans because of her partner. According to the Brazilian fighter, her ex-wife used to handle the finances for her account. However, she mishandled the now-inactive account, and they were left with no money. Andrade’s master, Gillard Parana, helped her get away from OnlyFans.
What is the exact reason for Jessica Andrade’s divorce? Is her ongoing divorce the reason for her losing streak? Let us know your opinions in the comment section.