UFC 300 Update: Jessica Andrade to Take On Marina Rodriguez at Strawweight

An all-action battle in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s talent-rich strawweight division will treat the fans in April.

The UFC announced on Friday that Jessica Andrade (25-12) would be coming to blows with fellow striker Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) at UFC 300. The two women will collide at strawweight in a key tilt in that division on April 13, with their clash taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Given the nature of the lineup, it is unclear if their battle will be placed on the main card or prelims.

Former champ Andrade bounced around the flyweight and strawweight divisions the last few years, fighting for the 125-pound strap after losing her 115-pound belt. In 2023, “Bate Estaca” competed five times—more than any other competitor—although she bookended her year with wins while suffering three straight defeats in the middle. Andrade ran roughshod over Lauren Murphy before running into the buzzsaw that is Erin Blanchfield, suffering a deflating loss that had her move back to strawweight. A pair of tilts in that weight class did not go well either, when Xiaonan Yan punched her out and Tatiana Suarez tapped her out. The Brazilian rebounded in style in November 2023, when she busted up Mackenzie Dern at UFC 295.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, only competed twice in 2023, splitting the year with a loss to Virna Jandiroba and a second-round destruction of Michelle Waterson-Gomez to end things on a high note. Before a pair of losses to Lemos and the aforementioned Jandiroba, the muay thai striker had strung together four straight victories over Amanda Ribas, Waterson-Gomez, Dern and Yan to place her in championship contention at 115 pounds.

UFC 300 on April 13 still has no headliner, although there is currently one championship bout on the billing as Weili Zhang puts her strawweight crown on the line against Yan. Additionally, the UFC has scheduled a “BMF” title tilt between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway in the lightweight division. Other fights on the overstuffed lineup include a bantamweight battle between Holly Holm and Kayla Harrison, a lightweight title eliminator between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan and a light heavyweight rumble pitting Jiri Prochazka against Aleksandar Rakic.