Claudia Gadelha
Claudia Gadelha said she expected Rose Namajunas to win “The Ultimate Fighter 20″ and claim the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight title on Friday, but now that Carla Esparza instead got the victory, the Brazilian is happy to get her revenge.
Following Friday’s TUF 20 Finale event in Las Vegas, where Esparza (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned a third-round submission victory over Namajunas (2-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the championship headliner, the new 115-pound division finally got its champion.
Then, following the event, UFC President Dana White said a fight between Gadelha (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Esparza “definitely makes sense” – if she can get by Joanna Jedrzejczyk (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) tonight at UFC on FOX 13.
For Gadelha, who closes out tonight’s FOX Sports 1-televised preliminary card in Phoenix, that’s good news. Although she and Esparza have never fought, they have a bit of a history.
Carla Esparza
“I was supposed to face her twice already at Invicta FC,” Gadelha told MMAjunkie. “The first time, I broke my nose before the fight. The second time, I ended up in the hospital with an infection. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but she blamed me for it.
“I want to face her so I can prove that I’m not afraid of her, and that I’m the much better fighter.”
Gadelha was expected to be part of the 16-woman “TUF 20″ tournament. However, she ultimately pulled herself out of consideration due to concerns over her ability to consistently make the 116-pound limit during the show’s grueling filming schedule.
Still, even with the “TUF 20″ conclusion and a belt wrapped around the waist of her rival, the 26-year-old Brazilian said she can’t look too far ahead.
“I think Joanna is a tough adversary,” she said. “I cannot underestimate her or anyone else. It’s not for nothing that they’re in the UFC.
“As far as the belt, I’m not thinking about it. I’m focused on Joanna. … What happens after that, is merely the consequence, though I believe we two are the belt contenders since the girls in the ‘TUF’ house already fought each other. As far as rankings go, I think we two are in the best place to fight for the belt.”
After earning a decision victory over Tina Lahdemaki in her promotional debut back in July, Gadelha said she returned to American Kickboxing Academy in California to supplement her work at Brazil’s famed Nova Uniao camp.
“I spent a month there training,” she said. “I worked with Josh Thomson and Daniel Cormier. The training was very high level.”
With an unbeaten record, which includes eight stoppages in 12 career wins, Gadelha knows an impressive victory tonight over Jedrzejczyk could build some momentum for a 115-pound title shot with Esparza. And if victorious – despite the weight concerns ahead of “TUF 20″ – she said she’s there to stay.
“I had the opportunity to fight at 135 pounds since the time that Strikeforce was around,” she said. “But my coach, Andre Pederneiras, told me that it wasn’t a good decision. Actually, I already fought at bantamweight in the past. I beat Valerie Letourneau, who’s in the UFC right now.
“But I think that weight class is way too heavy for me. I felt the other girls were much bigger since I didn’t have to cut weight. I think I found myself now. I’m in the right weight class for me. I’d like to stay here.”
For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter Finale 20 and UFC on FOX 13, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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MMAjunkie’s Ben Fowlkes recaps Saturday’s TUF 20 Finale main event:
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