Cláudia Gadelha

Biography

Gadelha had a tough late childhood and early youth. Her mother did not get along with her rebellious character which, in her opinion, did not fit a girl. Gadelha's wish to practice martial arts was also not tolerated by her parents. Later she came into contact with drugs and bad friends which forced her parents to take her to Natal to keep her away from these influences and finish high school. This relocation changed her life completely. At the age of 14, she started to work out secretly in a gym. One day Gadelha went to an MMA event in Natal where she saw a female fight. The experience raised her passion for the sport. At the same event she met Jair Lourenço, leader of the gym 'Kimura Nova União' in Natal, and he invited her to take a class at the academy. Shortly afterwards, by sheer coincidence, her father rented an apartment in the Kimura headquarters and with that her relationship with Nova União was cemented. Henceforth she dedicated her life to martial arts and never got involved in drugs again. At age 18, Gadelha moved to Rio de Janeiro where she celebrated her successes in BJJ and debuted in MMA. "The sport was teaching me how I should deal with life. Today, I am a completely different person, thanks to martial arts" (Gadelha).

Mixed martial arts career

Gadelha made her pro MMA debut on June 5, 2008 at Force Fighting Championship 1 against Elaine Leite. She won via armbar in 17 seconds. Gadelha then won her next six fights to maintain an undefeated 7-0 record.

Gadelha was sidelined for all of 2011 due to complications with a vein in her leg. Upon her return, she took part in the filming of Fight Xchange, a documentary series that followed the lives of six mixed martial artists - three Canadians and three Brazilians - as they trained together and prepared for upcoming fights. The series aired on Super Channel in Canada. Brazilian Globo.com repeated the series in February/March 2014 on their 'canal combate'.

On April 20, 2012, at the conclusion of Fight Xchange, Gadelha made her North American MMA debut against Valérie Létourneau at Wreck MMA: Road to Glory. She won the fight by split decision.

In her next fight, Gadelha earned her first TKO win on September 21, 2012 when she defeated Adriana Vieira at Shooto Brazil 34.

In January 2014 Cláudia won the vote of the WMMA press for the 'Fan Favorite Fighter of the Year 2013'

Invicta Fighting Championships

Gadelha was scheduled to make her Invicta FC debut at Invicta FC 4 against Carla Esparza for the inaugural Strawweight Championship, but a broken nose forced Gadelha out of the bout and she was replaced by Bec Hyatt.

After recovering from her injury, Gadelha faced and defeated Hérica Tibúrcio on May 11, 2013 at Max Sport 13.2 in Brazil.

Gadelha then made her Invicta FC debut at Invicta FC 6, replacing injured champion Carla Esparza against fellow undefeated fighter Ayaka Hamasaki. Despite having a point deducted in the first round for an illegal knee, Gadelha defeated Hamasaki via third-round TKO and earned a shot at Esparza's strawweight title.

On December 7, 2013, Gadelha was again set to challenge Esparza for the Invicta FC strawweight championship at Invicta FC 7. On late Friday evening before the event, Gadelha was taken to the hospital due to gastroenteritis, triggered by bacteria thus canceling the fight.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On December 11, 2013, it was announced that Gadelha was signed by the UFC along with ten other strawweight fighters to compete on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter which will crown the first ever UFC strawweight champion. In April 2014 it was announced that Cláudia Gadelha would not take part in TUF 20, but has signed a direct contract with the UFC.

In the UFC's first female strawweight fight, Gadelha faced Tina Lähdemäki on July 16, 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Miller. Gadelha won the fight via unanimous decision.

Gadelha next faced Joanna Jędrzejczyk at on December 13, 2014 at UFC on Fox 13. She lost the fight via split decision. After the horn signaled the end of the third and final round, Gadelha punched Jędrzejczyk after the referee had separated the two fighters. Gadelha immediately apologetically approached Jędrzejczyk and claimed she didn't hear the bell, despite being separated by the referee. Dana White later stated in the UFC on Fox 13 post fight press conference that the UFC wouldn't take any disciplinary actions towards Gadelha, due to her immediate regret shown towards Jędrzejczyk. The judges' decision caused controversies afterwards as the majority of the MMA media and the viewers scored the bout in favor of Gadelha.

Gadelha was expected to face Aisling Daly on April 11, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 64. However, Gadelha pulled out of the bout in late March citing a recent muscle spasm in her back. Subsequently, Daly was pulled from the card entirely.

Gadelha next faced former WSOF Women's Strawweight Champion Jessica Aguilar on August 1, 2015 at UFC 190. She won the fight by unanimous decision.

In early 2016, the UFC announced that Gadelha would be one of the coaches, opposite former opponent Joanna Jędrzejczyk on The Ultimate Fighter 23 . A rematch, for the UFC Strawweight Championship between the two took place on July 8, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. She lost the fight via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-45, 48-46).

On November 19, 2016 she defeated Cortney Casey at UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2 via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments