Filed under: UFC
LAS VEGAS – Although she still has only one UFC bout to her credit, big things appear to be on the horizon for strawweight Claudia Gadelha.
UFC President Dana White said at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale press conference that Gadelha “definitely makes sense” as the first challenger to newly minted champ Carla Esparza if she’s able to defeat Joanna Jedrzejczyk at Saturday’s UFC on FOX 13.
Esparza (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) submitted Rose Namajunas (2-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to claim the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight title at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale. Now, the question is what’s next.
One option, it appears, is Gadelha (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), 26, who was scheduled to join the cast of “The Ultimate Fighter 20.” She was scratched before filming began this summer because she feared she could not repeatedly make the 115-pound limit. The UFC kept her in the fold anyway and in July, she made her pro octagon debut, outpointing Tina Lahdemaki at UFC Fight Night 45.
Undefeated in 12 bouts, Gadelha would have been a favorite on the show, especially opposite Esparza, whom she was twice scheduled to meet under the Invicta FC banner. Gadelha withdrew from a title bout in January 2013 citing a broken nose, and Esparza went on to win the all-women promotion’s inaugural strawweight belt. The two were rescheduled for December of that same year, but Gadelha withdrew after suffering a bacterial infection, and the two were shortly thereafter signed by the UFC.
A fight would be the most competitive bout possible from a rankings standpoint. Gadelha actually is ranked one place above Esparza in the MMARising.com women’s MMA strawweight rankings at No. 2. WSOF fighter Jessica Aguilar holds in the top position.
But of course, Gadelha first needs to get past Jedrzejczyk, which would put her at 2-0 in the octagon. And Esparza’s condition after her title-winning performance against Namajunas.
For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter Finale 20, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
Filed under: UFC