Claudia Gadelha details off-camera scuffle with 'muay Thai fighter with takedown defense' Jedrzejczyk

RIO DE JANEIRO – After a few very public exchanges, it’s no secret that “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 coaches Claudia Gadelha and Joanna Jedrzejczyk are not exactly best friends.

Title challenger Gadelha (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and strawweight champ Jedrzejczyk (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) are set to officially settle their differences at the FOX Sports 1-televised The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale on July 8, the eve of UFC 200, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

But as UFC President Dana White first revealed, the strawweight rematch almost took place before the scheduled time, in an off-camera moment as taping of the reality series concluded. At a media day in Brazil to promote the upcoming bout, Gadelha elaborated on the “fist fight” White referred to when speaking about the athletes’ escalating tension.

“Every time we’d meet in the gym, someone was behind us – but this time it was just me and her,” Gadelha told MMAjunkie. “We crossed each other and she said, ‘What’s up?’ and I said, ‘What do you want?’ And she started saying things, very disrespectful things, and she she did like this to me, showed me the finger, and I said ‘you should put that somewhere else.’

“She got upset and threw a water bottle at me. And she got really mad and ran at me and said ‘Do you want to fight?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I want to fight!’ She got very close to me but didn’t do anything. So I pushed her and she pushed me back. When she pushed me back I kicked her in the ribs. Then someone held me and held her and the fight stopped there.”

This on-screen rivalry, of course, didn’t start at the TUF Gym. It dates back to a UFC on FOX 13 bout in December 2013 that ended with a controversial decision win for the current titleholder. If Gadelha was on the losing end of the judges’ scorecards then, she’s been ahead as a “TUF” coach, leading her team to a current 6-1 score over the champ’s.

That winning performance, Gadelha said, was based on good examples, team unity and a solid strategy.

“I think I’m amongst amazing coaches: Andre (Pederneiras), Jair (Lourenco), and many other guys who are great at this,” Gadelha said. “Being polished out by them helped me out a lot.

“I think I did a great job with my team. We became a family and were very strong together. I was also studying everyone inside the house. I knew everything about everybody, not only from my team, but also from her team. So I was studying everything and paying a lot of attention. And I think I did a better job coaching. And I had the best strategies, also.”

Apart from the score, Jedrzejczyk has complained about her on-air portrayal, implying that she’s been unfavorably edited to look like a bully. Gadelha, however, firmly disagrees with that theory.

“Everything that happened in the show, they’re airing,” Gadelha said. “She’s upset cause she’s not looking good, but she should have thought of that before. Because everything they’re showing, she did. So she has nothing to be mad about.”

As part of her opponent-driven strategic preparation, the Nova Uniao fighter revealed she watches their original bout every week – and still can’t see how the judges scored it on Jedrzejczyk’s favor.

While she believes the champ has “loosened up” in the octagon since then, becoming more able to impose her muay Thai efficiently, Gadelha just doesn’t think she’s a complete mixed martial artist yet.

“I don’t want to underestimate anyone, but people build up Joanna like she’s this amazing, invincible fighter,” Gadelha said. “She’s simply a muay Thai fighter with good takedown defense. You’ll never see her taking people down, fighting from bottom position, or just doing the whole MMA game. She’s not well-rounded. She’s a limited fighter.

“By doing that, I think she gives many chances for her opponents to find holes in her game, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

As far as classic grappler vs. striker matchup, Gadelha believes that, the same way the champ “wouldn’t just lie down and ask her to try jiu-jitsu with her,” she can’t play into Jedrzejczyk’s game.

But when asked whether she feels capable of striking against her opponent, she was very clear.

“I do, I feel I am capable of trading with any girl in my division,” Gadelha said. “And I’m sure if my hand lands on her face, she’ll go down.”

For more on Gadelha’s thoughts on TUF and the upcoming rematch against Joanna, check out the video above.

And for more on The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.