Jessica 'Bate Estaca' team reveals refusal to fight for the belt

Bate Estaca intends to fight for the belt, but not now. Photo: UFC

It's common to see several fighters asking for a shot at the belt in their respective categories, but the situation is a little different with Jessica 'Bate Estaca', an Ultimate strawweight. After being removed from the UFC 207 card, which took place last Friday (30), in Las Vegas (USA), the Brazilian received an offer to face champion Joanna Jedrzejczy, but the duel will not take place, for now, for a wish from the athlete's team.

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“After all the confusion, the fight being canceled (at UFC 207), they said we could go straight (to the title). But honestly, it's not very interesting for us, because we need to make it worth it. This has to be a proper camp. If we're going to fight for the belt, we need money. We have to be prepared to invest in this camp because it is serious. It has to be done with a different level of investment than a normal camp. We're not going to fight for the belt just to be there”, said Tiago Okamura, the Brazilian's agent, in an interview with the website 'MMA Junkie' (USA).

However, the money to invest in a specialized camp to face the champion is not the only obstacle. According to Tiago, Joanna only intends to return to fight again in April, which would require even more time for Jessica to take action. The Brazilian's idea is to perform on the UFC on Fox 23 card, which takes place on January 28th

“They haven't specified a timeline, but we know Joanna has planned to return to the Octagon in April. That would be a bit far. So, it would be ideal to have one more fight, earn some money and invest everything in the camp. So, if she has one more title defense before the end of the year, it would be great for us”, concluded the agent.

Current number five in the strawweight division, Jessica only had two fights in the category. He debuted at the weight last June, when he knocked out Jessica penne at UFC 199. Afterwards, he submitted Joanne calderwood at UFC 203 in September. At 25 years old, Bate Estaca has a professional record with 15 wins and five losses (6-3 in Ultimate).