MANILA, Philippines - Polish sensation Joanna Jedrzejczyk had to dig deep and overcome adversity to successfully defend the UFC women’s strawweight title against Brazil’s Claudia Gadelha in their rematch at “The Ultimate Fighter” season 23 finale on Friday, July 8 (Saturday Manila time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jedrzejczyk outpointed Gadelha via a hard-earned unanimous decision with the scores of 48-46, 48-45 and 48-46.
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The 28-year-old Polish fighter had to survive some early troubles to take over the contest down the stretch as Gadelha dropped Jedrzejczyk with a jab in the opening seconds of the marquee match-up and then pursued a relentless clinch to convert multiple takedown attempts.
"We knew it would be a real tough fight," Jedrzejczyk said in the post-fight interview. "I said after our first fight, she's number one and I am champion. I have so much respect for her."
The mood of the championship clash started to change in the third frame, when Gadelha walked into a stinging counter right hand from Jedrzejczyk that put her on the back foot for the first time.
Fatigue became a factor as the bout progressed, making Gadelha a stationary target for an elite striker like Jedrzejczyk, who showcased her full stand-up arsenal by delivering staggering combinations and damaging jabs.
According to Fightmetric statistics, Jedrzejczyk scored 234 in total strikes as compared to Gadelha’s 78.
Jedrzejczyk landed 75 blows in the fourth round, where she stormed out of the corner by throwing crisp shots.
With the impressive victory over Gadelha, Jedrzejczyk remains undefeated in 12 fights and defends the UFC women’s strawweight for the third time.
On the other hand, Gadelha downgrades to a prizefighting record of 13-2, with two of his professional losses coming at the hands of Jedrzejczyk. – Rappler.com