TUF 23 Finale results: Joanna Jedrzejczyk tops Claudia Gadelha in fantastic battle to retain title

LAS VEGAS – Joanna Jedrzejczyk had to overcome early adversity against Claudia Gadelha, but managed to survive multiple takedowns to take over the fight down the stretch and earn a second victory over her biggest rival.

The women’s strawweight title bout was the main event of today’s TUF 23 Finale event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

As expected, aggression was the order of the day from the start of the fight. Gadelha (13-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) landed a strong jab that put Jedrzejczyk (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) down. She tried to move to top position but Jedrzejczyk was able to use the cage to rise back up to her feet.

Gadelha didn’t back down, however, and scored with a strong takedown to put the fight back on the floor. Jedrzejczyk immediately began eating big punches but slid back to the cage and stood once again and the women traded big elbows before going back to distance.

Out of the clinch, Jedrzejczyk began to land punches while Gadelha looked to take a moment to catch her breath.

Round 2 opened with champion and challenger throwing heavy punches before Gadelha pushed the fight to the cage and landed a hard elbow and hook before scoring another takedown.

Gadelha again punished Jedrzejczyk on the ground before she worked her way back to standing. Gadelha refused to disengage, however, and continued to push for takedowns against the cage.

Gadelha looked fatigued coming out for Round 3 while Jedrzejczyk began to find her rhythm on the feet, landing punches in combinations. Gadelha returned fire with some heavy counter punches before driving through yet another takedown.

Jedrzejczyk was able to break from clinches with more ease as Gadelha appeared to be fatiguing badly. After easily getting top position after a Gadelha takedown attempt, Jedrzejczyk stood up, walked away and waived the challenger back to her feet.

Jedrzejczyk stormed out of the corner for Round 4 throwing blisteringly quick combinations of strikes, while Gadelha started to fight going backward for the first time in the fight.

Jedrzejczyk continued throwing combinations and mixing in heavy leg kicks as a fatigued Gadelha found less and less success offensively.

Displaying phenomenal cardio, Jedrzejczyk continued the assault in Round 5, though Gadelha showed more determination to walk forward and once again forced a clinch against the cage. Jedrzejczyk was able to easily escape and landed a hard combination on the way out.

Jedrzejczyk continued to fight like a completely fresh fighter to the final bell, and after surviving tough early rounds, was awarded the fight 48-46, 48-45 and 48-46 on the official scorecards.

Following the fight, the two bitter rivals expressed respect and admiration for each other.

Jedrzejczyk remained undefeated and is now 4-0 in UFC title fights. Gadelha suffered the second defeat of her pro career, both coming to Jedrzejczyk.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 23 Finale results include:

• Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Claudia Gadelha via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-45, 48-46) – to retain strawweight title
• Andrew Sanchez def. Khalil Rountree via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
• Tatiana Suarez def. Amanda Cooper via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 3:23
• Will Brooks def. Ross Pearson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Doo Ho Choi def. Thiago Tavares via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:42
• Joaquim Silva def. Andrew Holbrook via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:34
• Gray Maynard def. Fernando Bruno via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Matheus Nicolau def. John Moraga via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Josh Stansbury def. Cory Hendricks via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
• Cezar Ferreira def. Anthony Smith via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Kevin Lee def. Jake Matthews via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:06
• Li Jingliang def. Anton Zafir via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:46

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan, Mike Bohn and Fernanda Prates contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)