Andrade -
http://mmajunkie.com/2016/03/ufc-fi...-steady-schedule-after-losing-years-to-injury
had a seven-fight winning streak snapped when he lost a unanimous decision to Nicholas Musoke at the February 2014 event. Following the loss, Andrade battled injuries that kept him out of the cage for 19 months.
“I came into the fight against Gasan Umalatov after being inactive for two years due to injury,” Andrade said. “That fight was proof that I’d recovered. During those two years, I put a lot of work into the mental aspects of MMA. For a while, I wasn’t able to train as hard as necessary. So I changed my approach to fighting, while incorporating new weapons. I’ve been using more elbow attacks, such as spinning elbows. My boxing footwork is also improved. I’ve evolved as necessary so I could have a good performance. It was one of the few times I managed to have fun in the Octagon. That’s despite the pressure of having to win after two years idle, coming off a loss, and fighting at home. I was able to let my game go.”
“I’ve been able to study Richard Walsh very well,” Andrade said. “He’s very tough. He enjoys striking and pressing against the cage, to tire out his opponents. He’s highly dangerous during the first 30 seconds of each fight. He tries to win early. I’m aware of all that. He wants to strike, and I welcome that. And when I have a chance to take him down, without a doubt, I’ll do that. I’ll utilize my top control. I can see that he feels very uncomfortable at the bottom, even though he’s a jiu-jitsu brown belt. That’s what I’ll likely pursue. But if I feel fine on the feet, maybe I’ll stay there. He has good takedown defense. I think it will be a great fight, since he attacks early and we both enjoy striking hard. I think the fans will enjoy it.”
After his lengthy layff due to injury, Andrade has big ambitions to fight with a high degree of regularity.
“I lobbied the UFC for this fight,” Andrade said. “I told my manager I want to fight four times this year. He told me it might be too much. I said I need to fight since I lost two years of my career due to injury. I want get back to action as soon as possible after this next fight. I’m making up for lost time. My goal is to stand out in the organization.”