RIO DE JANEIRO – Jessica Andrade isn’t just walking away from UFC 237 as a champion – she’s also going to have an extra $100,000 in her bank account.
Andrade shared the night’s “Fight of the Night” bonus for with former champ Rose Namajunas in their incredible headlining clash. “Bate Estaca” also took home a “Performance of the Night” bonus, as did welterweight Warlley Alves.
UFC 237 took place Saturday at Jeunesse Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. UFC officials announced the winners following the event, which MMA Junkie attended.
Things weren’t going great for Andrade in the opening round, with Namajunas’ striking on full display, her speed and accuracy impressing. But Andrade never kept looking to push forward, and the relentless effort paid off in the second.
After moving into a clinch, Andrade lifted Namajunas high in the air before slamming her to the canvas. Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) held a kimura grip, and she wound up landing directly on her head, rendering her unconscious and resulting in Andrade (20-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) taking home the belt.
On the night’s ESPN-broadcast prelims, Alves (13-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) earned a dominant win over submission ace Sergio Moraes (14-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC). Alves used leg kicks to batter Moraes on the feet, turning aside the few takedown attempts that did come his way. And while it seemed he might cruise to a decision win, Alves unleashed a vicious uppercut that sent Moraes crashing to the floor for a third-round knockout result.
For complete coverage of UFC 237, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
