UFC fighter sweetly proposes to girlfriend after brutal bout
What’s the best way to cap off a world championship fight?
Proposing to your girlfriend, of course.
Jessica Andrade, an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor, had just gone five rounds with belt holder Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
She ended the contest the loser, with a bloody face, but showed enormous spirit in defeat.
And once she had discussed the fight with the in-cage interviewer, Andrade showed further courage to take the ultimate leap.
Fans in the crowd started cheering as she made the proposal to her girlfriend Fernanda in Portuguese, before it was translated into English.
“Today, I’d like to make a special request to my girlfriend, Fernanda, who is here,” said Andrade.
“I want to ask her for marriage.”
Fernanda, shocked and smiling in the audience, said yes.
Andrade, who has been fighting since 2013, was competing in the co-main event of UFC 211 in Dallas, Texas.
It takes guts to make a public proposal, and even more so to propose to your girlfriend in Texas.
The state is one of the five most homophobic based on its tweets, and just yesterday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said passing a bill to stop trans people using public bathrooms was his top priority.
Last year, Amanda Nunes became the UFC’s first out gay champion when she beat Miesha Tate in a first round submission in UFC 200.
She spoke about her girlfriend Nina Ansaroff during her victory speech, saying: “Nina is the best training partner I have in my life.”
Also in 2016, UFC fighter Nicolas Dalby expressed his love and support for the LGBT community during a weigh-in.
He proudly showed off a rainbow-themed ‘We Are All Fighters’ t-shirt during pre-fight preparations in the welterweight division of the UFC.
And in 2014, fighter Kyle Kingsbury dropped his shorts during his televised weigh-in, revealing a pair of pink underpants with the phrase “Legalise Gay” on them.
Watch the full proposal below:
