UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

Jessica Andrade and women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas are set to do battle in the main event of UFC 237 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Thug Rose will look to make her first title defense against someone not named Joanna Jedrzejczyk after a rivalry that lasted two years.

She'll see a formidable challenge in taking on Andrade in hostile territory. The Brazilian has been highly successful since transitioning to strawweight. She's 6-1 at 115 pounds and will be taking her second crack at the championship. 

In other scheduled bouts, Anderson Silva will make an appearance against Jared Cannonier. The Spider will be fighting in his native Brazil for just the third time in his UFC career. 

Jose Aldo makes it two Brazilian legends on the card. The rejuvenated featherweight will take on Alexander Volkanovski in a key fight at 145 pounds. 

It's a fun card with several close fights, according to oddsmakers, and some star power to go along with it. 

Odds: Action Network

UFC 237 Fight Card

Main Card (PPV on ESPN+ at 10 p.m.)

• Rose Namajunas (EVEN; bet $100 to win $100); Jessica Andrade (-130; bet $100 to win 76.92)
• Jared Cannonier (-140); Anderson Silva (+110) 
• Jose Aldo (-140); Alexander Volkanovski (+110)
• Thiago Alves (-120); Laureano Staropoli (-110)

Prelims (ESPN at 8 p.m.)

• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (+115); Ryan Spann (-145)
• Thiago Moises (-130); Kurt Holobaugh (EVEN)
• Irene Aldana (-305); Bethe Correia (+235)
• B.J. Penn (+450); Clay Guida (-700)

Prelims (Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m.)

• Luana Carolina (-175); Priscila Cachoeira (+145)
• Warlley Alves (-145); Sergio Moraes (+115)
• Raoni Barcelos (-1000); Carlos Huachin Quiroz (+600)
• Talita Bernardo (-500); Viviane Araujo (+350)

Predictions

Rose Namajunas Wins Decision in Thriller

The even odds in this fight are an indicator of how well-matched the title fight that will conclude the evening is. 

Namajunas has been fascinating to watch develop. The potential was there for her to be a champion as a contestant in The Ultimate Fighter, it just took a while longer for her to blossom than originally anticipated. 

She lost her initial title fight to Carla Esparza and dropped a split decision three fights later to Karolina Kowalkiewicz, but every time out she's been an improved fighter. That maturation culminated in back-to-back wins over Joanna Jedrzejczyk to win and defend the title. 

Andrade will be a different challenge, though. The Brazilian is a high-volume pressure fighter who is going to look to maul the champion. She lands 6.58 significant strikes per minute, according to UFC Stats, and those are typically shots looking to knock her opponent out. 

That opens her up to being hit as well, though. Andrade absorbs just over five strikes per minutes, which is a far cry from the 3.72 that Namajunas typically absorbs per minute. 

Much has been made of Andrade's power in this fight, but she has just one finish in her last five fights.

Namajunas is smart defensively, and that could be the difference here as the champion neutralizes the aggression and forces the fight to her pace. 

Prediction: Namajunas via decision

Jared Cannonier Makes Everyone Sad

In MMA, you either retire the hero or stay long enough to become the guy that takes ridiculous losses. Anderson Silva isn't Batman, but he's the closest thing that MMA has had to a superhero. 

The legendary middleweight has nothing left to prove in the game. His spot as one of the sport's all-time greats is already cemented, but his lightning quick reflexes and counter-punching also appear to be cemented as well. 

Silva is 1-5 with a No Contest in his last seven fights. At 44 years old, he's a fighter that merely looks like Anderson Silva. 

Cannonier is the least worthy challenger of Silva in more than a decade. But at this point, it might not matter. The former heavyweight looked strong in his middleweight debut against David Branch in scoring a second-round TKO. 

At this point, that's enough to be favored against Silva. Maybe there's a vintage Spider performance stored away deep down. Maybe Cannonier will over commit to a strike and Silva's timing will turn back the clock with a counter left hand. 

More likely is that Cannonier is able to figure out the former champion's rhythm and land the powerful strikes he'll need to end the fight.

Prediction: Cannonier via third-round TKO

Alexander Volkanovski Continues Breakthrough to Title Shot

The featherweight matchup between Jose Aldo and Alexander Volkanovski is the true co-main event. The winner will have a strong case for a title shot as both are much more relevant than their middleweight counterparts in the actual co-main. 

Just when it looked like Aldo may be shot, he has come back strong with consecutive knockout wins over Jeremy Stephens and Renato Moicano. The skills that once made him a nearly unbeatable champion appear to still be intact, which makes him one of the toughest outs in the division. 

In the other corner will be Volkanovski. The Australian has been steadily handed more and more difficult opposition for the last two years and continues to pass each test with relative ease. 

The latest test was a second-round TKO win over Chad Mendes. He was challenged in spots in that fight but still had superior stand-up to put him away in the second frame. 

While Aldo has looked much better in his last two bouts, the blueprint is still out to beat him. Holloway proved that if you can keep the pressure on him and force him to fight off the back foot he will eventually wear down. 

That's not an easy task. We are still talking about one of the most vicious strikers in the history of the division. However, Volkanovski has shown the ability to put the pressure on thus far in his career. 

As long as he can avoid getting cracked and control the pace of the fight, he should be able to follow Holloway's blueprint to success against the former champ. 

Prediction: Volkanvoski via decision