Jéssica Bate-Estaca defeats Lauren Murphy and repositions herself as a candidate to dispute the belt

The belt is right there! Overpowering and supported by the crowd, Jessica Bate-Estaca showed that she feels good in Rio de Janeiro. As is her style, it was like a tractor to beat North American Lauren Murphy by unanimous decision of the judges this Saturday, at Jeunesse Arena, at UFC 238. Facing Dana White, the display leaves no doubt that she deserves to return to have a chance to be at the top — which should happen soon.

Jessica now has a decision to make: stick to flyweight or go back to strawweight. In the current division, the victory puts her on the way to compete in the division, but there is the athlete’s desire to return to reign in her category of origin. So much for having just recovered from a herniated disc surgery.

It’s no secret that Bate-Estaca intends to ask for a rematch against strawweight champion Weili Zhang, who was responsible for dethroning her in 2019.

The Brazilian returns to Rio de Janeiro after four years of one of her biggest career victories. It was at Jeussa Arena, at UFC 237, where she won the organization’s straw belt, knocking out Rose Namajunas with the move that earned her her nickname. This Saturday, victory for the Brazilian.

That was a different fight for the athlete, who didn’t see her main trainer, Gilliard Paraná, on the brink of the octagon. He cannot attend Rio de Janeiro for personal reasons.

How was the fight:

Jessica dominated the first round and landed good blows. In two instances, Murphy seems off and out of the fight after two good crosses from Pile Driver. The Brazilian managed to connect her directs with some ease, while the American tried to take the fight to the ground. At the end of the first round, she almost got the knockout.

In the second round, Murphy kept trying to take the fight to the ground while Pile Driver held it. Standing up, the Brazilian had the advantage. Jessica almost got a pin when the American fell in the octagon. At the end of the round, Murphy was again saved by the bell.

In the third round, Jessica took advantage of Murphy’s fatigue to connect her strikes. There were several times that the American swung and looked close to being knocked out. In a moment of danger, Myrphy grabbed Jessica’s arm and tried the submission, but without success. In the end, the Brazilian won by unanimous decision of the judges.