And still UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha had a bitter run up to Friday night’s TUF 23 Finale, with literally hundreds of insults cast back and forth. This is largely a good thing, as they are professional fighters, and bad blood puts asses in seats.
When the fight is over, it’s supposed to be over.
In cage, Joanna took the mic from Jon Anik, and immediately offered an apology to Gadelha.
“We knew that it was going to be a tough fight with Claudia Gadelha,” said Jedrzejczyk. “Like I said after our first fight, she is No. 1, and I am the champion, and I have so much respect to her. Claudia … What happened between me and you, I’m so sorry. You’re the greatest fighter.”
Gadelha walked over, took the mic, and went way off script.
The Brazilian proceeded to lecture Joanna, and the audience, about the importance of humility, and its importance over title belts. Gadelha doubled down at the post fight press conference, confirming that she refused to accept Jedrzejczyk’s apology.
No, it’s not done – never, said Gadelha, as transcribed by Mike Bohn for MMAjunkie. The things that she did during the show and the things she said during the show was very disrespectful. I grew up in the BJJ philosophy. I learned to respect my opponents and the coaches. She disrespect me and my coaches and I can’t accept that.
And Gadelha said she wasn’t convinced she lost.
“I was fighting to win, and then in the third round, I felt my arms were very tight,” said Gadelha, as transcribed by Luke Thomas for MMA Fighting. “I tried to keep fighting back, but Joanna, she escapes a lot. She has good hips and she was escaping from my takedowns. That’s what happened.”
“I think every[one] that knows what they want in life improves and gets better, fight by fight. Not only her, but every fighter that knows what they want in life gets better. She got better like I got better and a lot of other fighters get better as well. I think I’m better than her technically. If it wasn’t the conditioning, I could’ve beaten her there.”
There is no disagreement that Jedrzejczyk won the last two rounds. And little disagreement that Gadelha’s wrestling heavy game won the first two. Gadelha says she won the third. However, she related that her coach disagreed.
“I thought I won the first, second and third round and lost the two last rounds,” said Gadelha. “When my corner talked to me in the fourth round, he said it was two and two and I was kinda confused because I knock her down twice – in the first and third round – and I took her down. I don’t know if her striking would be better than the takedown and the knockdown that I gave her in the third round.
“I trained for five rounds two times before when I was going to fight for the Invicta title. It’s hard. It’s very hard, but I think training for every fight is very hard. Just a get a little bit more tiring in your body and your mind, but it’s kinda the same thing.”
“I learn a lot fight by fight. This is the second loss that I take in my career. It’s like I said in the Octagon: it’s all about the respect. I respect Joanna as an opponent, but I don’t respect her as a person. I said that too many times. The reason I wanted to get this title is to show everybody how to be a real champion, very respectful.”
