Challenger Gadelha believes Jedrzejczyk's 'mind games' might backfire at TUF 23 Finale rematch

LAS VEGAS – It’s been over 18 months since Claudia Gadelha suffered her first career loss – a controversial split decision to champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC on FOX 13.

Gadelha (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will finally get a chance to avenge that setback on Friday, at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, this time with a belt on the line. But if you ask the UFC strawweight challenger, she will walk into the octagon against Jedrzejczyk (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) as she did the first time they met: unbeaten.

“In my mind, in my heart, I’m undefeated,” Gadelha told reporters after an open workout for Friday’s The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with a main card that airs on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. “I never lost a fight in my life. To me, I lost this fight to these judges, not to Joanna. If you watch this fight 100 times, there’s no way she beat me. The only thing she did was that knockdown in the last seconds of the first round. If you watch that whole fight, I dominated everything.”

In spite of disagreeing with the end result, Gadelha believes that the blemish in her record ended up fueling positive changes.

“I don’t see that loss in my mind and in my heart, but it is in my record,” Gadelha said. “So that made me learn a lot. It made me want to give that back to her. I improved as a fighter, I’m more mature as an adult. A lot of things changed. When I fought her the first time, I learned a lot. And I think you learn more when you lose.

“I think this changed my training camps. The way I’m training to knock people out and to submit people, instead of winning by points. That’s the only thing that changed in my game. But other than that, it’s all the same. I’m not going to be thinking about the judges when I’m fighting. I’m going to think about what I have to do to win the fight.”

Gadelha’s feelings toward both the decision and Jedrzejczyk have been made very clear since their first encounter. Most notably, after the two went up against each other as coaches on the latest installment of “The Ultimate Fighter.” But while tempers may have risen during the taping of the show, Gadelha thinks she is now beyond her foe’s attempts to get in her head.

In fact, Gadelha believes they might just backfire.

“I think that mind game is a part of Joanna’s game inside the octagon,” Gadelha said. “She tried everything with me and it didn’t work. I just don’t pay attention to the things she says. I don’t think she says nice things. Nothing she says get in my head, I don’t care about the things she says. It might be bad for her, cause she needs that to fight well.”

If she wins on Friday, Gadelha will become Brazil’s first women’s UFC champion – a conquest that, she assures, would not be taken lightly.

“It would mean a lot of things,” Gadelha said. “To myself, first it would mean a lot of things, cause I went through a lot to be here. It’s very hard to be an MMA fighter in Brazil, to be a female MMA fighter is even harder. I’ve been on the road for a while, I worked so hard for so long. And I’ve been through bad things. So conquering that belt would mean everything to me.”

Unlike their first encounter, Friday’s rematch will have the habitual two extra championship rounds. Asked about how the added ten minutes might change the outcome of the bout, Gadelha has no problem with it – quite the opposite.

“If you watch my fight with her, I got better in the second and third rounds,” Gadelha said. “In the third round I was flying, if we had two more rounds, she couldn’t stand with me the whole time. That’s what I think. She’s not used to doing the things that I do, she’s not used to fighting someone like me, really explosive and strong, and I’m sure she will feel that, not me.”

As for how the rematch will play out, Gadelha has a prediction. And, unsurprisingly, it doesn’t paint a flattering picture of her foe.

“I think Joanna will try to escape from me the whole time,” Gadelha concluded. “I’m sure she’s going to put her fingers on my eyes, like she always does. But I’ll do my game. I’m ready for this. I won the first fight and I’ll show everybody who’s best.”

Check out the video above for more of Gadelha’s thoughts on Jedrzejczyk and opportunity to capture the belt. Or click on the video below to see the whole interview.

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