Jessica Andrade: My sexual orientation no issue in cage, but might be tougher for males

Jessica Andrade

Jessica Andrade is a lesbian, and she said she’s never really hid that fact during her MMA career. And while her sexual orientation hasn’t really been an issue, she knows it might not be the same for male fighters.

Andrade (12-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC), who returns tonight against Sarah Moras (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 71, knows not everyone will agree with her lifestyle. But Andrade said her latest bout, which is part of the FOX Sports 1-televised preliminary card at San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center, is a potential opportunity to change minds.

“I’ve always made it very clear that I’m a homosexual,” the 23-year-old Brazilian told MMAjunkie. “I like women. But that’s never affected me when fighting or in my personal life. I think that every interaction, in or out of fighting, is an opportunity to show that we are normal people. Our behavior isn’t defined by our sexuality. My way of communicating and caring for people, will always be the same. Being attracted to the same gender doesn’t really make us different.

“Being a homosexual doesn’t mean that I expect people to see things my way. Everyone is entitled to their own way of understanding things. If people want to mistreat me, that’s fine. I choose to continue being the same affectionate person I’ve always been, though it does seem like the world is changing in regards to how people view homosexuals.”

Andrade made her UFC debut in 2013 against former title challener Liz Carmouche after posting a solid 9-2 record with eight stoppages on the regional scene. However, her sexual orientation was hard to avoid since she was scheduled to fight another openly gay fighter.

Jessica Andrade

“When I was booked against Liz Carmouche, some people were saying that no one cares to see lesbian behavior in the cage,” she said. “They were saying they’d rather see real fights. But I’ll never change my way of being to make some people happy. In the octagon, I’ll always be the same fighter.”

Andrade ultimately suffered a TKO loss to Carmouche, but she quickly rose up the women’s bantamweight ranks with a three-fight winning streak before a recent upset loss to Marion Reneau.

“I was coming off three straight victories after losing my UFC debut to Liz Carmouche,” she said. “I was doing great, as far as my record and my ranking. Unfortunately some conflicts between my coach and my girlfriend took my concentration off the fight preparations. I was very nervous on fight week. I wasn’t able to implement our fight strategy, even though I was very ready, physically. Psychologically, I wasn’t. That messed me up a lot. This defeat cost me a lot. It cost me my position in the rankings, and well as the confidence the UFC had in me.”

She hopes to get back on track tonight, and she’s a sizable (-320) favorite over Moras. And while past focus has been on her life outside the cage, Andrade hopes to put it back on her fighting skills and a potential bid for the title.

As a lesbian, she said she’s lucky that it’s likely easier for her to do so than it would be for some of her male counterparts.

“I don’t know about male homosexuals in MMA, but I know that gay women tend to fight hard because we aren’t worried about being judged,” she said. “We’re just concerned with doing a good job. People don’t care as much anymore.

“When it comes to men, that fear of being out is still there. I hope when a guy comes out in the UFC, that he won’t be afraid. It’s difficult at first, but little by little people will understand. It gets better.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 71, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.