UFC siren Andrade says she’s ‘proud to use her body’ as OnlyFans account spurred by leaked nudes funds Las Vegas training expenses

Former UFC champion Jessica Andrade says that her decision to open an OnlyFans account after nude photos of her were leaked online has allowed her to pay off her training expenses and live full-time in Las Vegas.

The former strawweight champion, who was defeated by Valentina Shevchenko in her most recent Octagon outing in April, says that she opted to open an account with the x-rated subscription service after naked snaps of the UFC star were leaked in her home country of Brazil.

Rather than shy away from the attention, Andrade says she used that heist as motivation to show her fans some more skin.

"I paid off my car and six or seven months of rent [in Las Vegas] in advance – I haven’t even used the money of my last fight’s purse," Andrade explained to MMA Fighting. 

"I was able to pay my bills in Brazil, help my family and help [her wife] Fernanda’s family with OnlyFans money.

"It’s nice when you check your account and see the money is still there. You’re like, 'My God, I’m buying a lot of stuff on Amazon, my house is like a market right now', and the account remains the same.

"Even though the photos have leaked, it was only four or five photos. People think OnlyFans is just porn but it’s not only that.

"It’s a platform to show your daily life, your fights, the things you do. I’m very happy with OnlyFans."

With the debate around fighter pay still a contentious one within the UFC, the fact that Andrade – a former champion – is seeking alternative revenue streams to support her career could be seen as the latest indication that the UFC's compensation model is antiquated. 

Several figures within the sport's orbit have complained that the UFC's remuneration for its athletes pales in comparison to the other major sports leagues in the United States.

The NFL, for example, sets aside around 50 percent of its revenue for players. The UFC, by comparison, is estimated to pay its fighters around 10-to-15 percent of its revenue.

Former UFC fighter turned bare-knuckle brawler Paige VanZant is another who has harnessed the financial clout of online subscription accounts, and says that the money she makes from her OnlyFans-style website far exceeds the purses she made under White's employment. 

And much like VanZant, Andrade says she is "proud to use her body" to further her career.

"I wasn’t upset because I already imagined it could happen,” Andrade said of the nude snaps being leaked. "I've seen that happen to other fighters as well. I wasn’t upset because I did all this knowing that it would leak eventually.

"If I had done [those photos] against my will, it would’ve been different, but I did that knowing it would probably happen. Not everyone is honest with you all the time.

"The photos were a package to one person but you don’t know this person’s heart and nature, and unfortunately that happened.

"But it was a learning experience. So we do photos now, but only to the right people and the right way.

"I’m 30 and my body won’t look pretty for the rest of my life, so we have to enjoy it while it’s nice.

"No-one will want to see it later. Better use it now than when it’s gone. But I wasn’t upset. I thought it was funny because people did a lot of memes."