Former UFC Champion Delivers Food and Paints Fences While Recovering

^{Jessica Andrade, UFC fighter}

Jessica Andrade, a former UFC strawweight champion (115 lbs / 52.2 kg), revealed that she is working as a food delivery driver while recovering from an injury. She told BBC Sport about her current situation.

The 34-year-old Brazilian fighter has not competed since August last year, when she lost to Mexico’s Loopy Godinez and suffered a shoulder injury. Andrade has made 30 UFC appearances since making her promotional debut in 2013, earning 17 victories. She won the UFC strawweight title in 2019, defended the belt once, and later lost it to China’s Zhang Weili.

“I’m working as a delivery driver. I deliver food and other things. I just take orders through an app and make the deliveries,” Andrade said.

The Brazilian said she is not afraid of physical work. In addition to delivering orders, she helps a friend with yard work, including removing rocks, laying grass and painting fences.

“If I’m good at this, it will become another thing I can do if I ever have a shortage of money. We need extra income,” Andrade said.

This is not the first time Andrade has spoken about financial difficulties. In 2018, she said she sold UFC merchandise, a backpack and gloves because of sponsorship problems. In 2023, Andrade said she fought five times in one year to cover expenses related to her divorce. In 2024, she accused her former coach and manager Gilliard Paraná of withholding part of her earnings.

Andrade’s story has once again drawn attention to the issue of fighter pay in the UFC. Critics of the promotion argue that fighters receive a much smaller share of revenue compared with boxers. UFC president Dana White, responding to criticism, has said that fighter payouts in the promotion have increased significantly since 2001.