Viscardi Andrade’s goals in Russia: Knock out Alexander Shlemenko and get paid

At 35 years old and more than a decade of fighting inside MMA rings and cages, Viscardi Andrade has a simple goal in his career going forward: make good money.

Andrade competed in the second season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil in 2013, scoring three wins before losing to William Macario in the welterweight semifinal. After a 1-1 start in the UFC, Andrade defeated Gasan Umalatov and Richard Walsh before facing a two-year USADA suspension, a doping result he insists is a false positive.

The Brazilian talent decided to ask for his UFC release a year after the suspension kicked off, and ultimately regrets making that call.

Andrade sat out for two years before finally returning to action in Switzerland, but the long layoff resulted in a decision defeat to undefeated welterweight Abdoul Abdouraguimov.

The jiu-jitsu expert realized he had to make some changes in his life, moving up to middleweight after years as a 170-pounder. In March 2019, that proved to be the right call after he stopped Sergei Martynov in devastating fashion at RCC 3 in Russia.

Andrade signed another one-bout deal with RCC to face former Bellator champion Alexander Shlemenko in the main event of RCC 6 in Chelyabinsk, Russia, on May 4. Right now, his short- and mid-term goals are simple.

“I’m happy here (at RCC),” Andrade told MMA Fighting. “I had a great first fight, they made (the pay) better for the second one, so I don’t plan on leaving here after I win this one. We’ll see what happens, but I’m happy here.”

“My goal is to go back to big promotions,” he added. “I’m happy in this company, but if another one offers more money, I’m going wherever is better for me. I don’t care if it’s promotion A or promotion B, I just want to go where’s better for me. What I want is to make money.”

According to Andrade, his recent second-round knockout win and the upcoming clash with a veteran like Shlemenko will determine whether or not he will make middleweight his permanent weight class, but feels better not having to cut extra 15 pounds before every fight.

“I’m fighting (Shlemenko) in a great moment for me,” Andrade said. “He’s no longer in his prime and he’s fighting in his home country, so he will feel the pressure. It’s the main event in Russia and he has to win, so it’s a good fight for me.”

When the bell rings, Andrade eyes a stoppage victory to avoid unpleasant surprises courtesy of the judges in Russia.

“I don’t want to let it go the distance because it’s in Russia and you know how that goes. I want a knockout or a submission,” Andrade said. “He’s a complete fighter, but when he gets a bit desperate when he’s on his back on the ground. Yet, what I want is to trade with him on the feet and knock him out.”