Cláudia Gadelha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cláudia Gadelha |
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Gadelha in October, 2009
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| Born | Ana Cláudia Dantas Gadelha December 7, 1988 Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil |
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| Other names | Claudinha | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 lb (52 kg; 8 st 3 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division | Strawweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Nova União (until 2016) Luttrell/Yee MMA (2017) UFC Performance Institute Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts (2017–present) Jackson Wink MMA Academy (2017) Nick Catone MMA (2019–present) |
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| Rank | 4th degree under André Pederneiras and Jair Lourenço | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2008–2021 (MMA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Cláudia Gadelha (born December 7, 1988) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist. She competed in the Women's Strawweight division. This is a weight class for lighter fighters. Cláudia was a top athlete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Since 2022, Cláudia has worked for the UFC in Brazil. She helps develop new fighters. She also became a Director of Business Development for the UFC. Later, she became the Senior Director of Jiu-Jitsu Strategy & Business Development for UFC BJJ.
Contents
Cláudia Gadelha's Early Life
Cláudia Gadelha had a challenging childhood. Her parents did not approve of her rebellious nature. They also did not want her to practice martial arts. Later, she faced some difficulties with bad influences.
Her parents decided to move her to Natal. This move helped her stay away from those influences. It also allowed her to finish high school. This change completely transformed her life.
Discovering Martial Arts
At 14, Cláudia secretly started training at a gym. One day, she watched an MMA event in Natal. She saw a women's fight there. This experience sparked her passion for the sport.
At the same event, she met Jair Lourenço. He invited her to try a class at his gym. By chance, her father rented an apartment in the Kimura headquarters. This connected her strongly with the Nova União team.
From then on, she dedicated her life to martial arts. She never got involved in bad influences again. At 18, Cláudia moved to Rio de Janeiro. There, she achieved success in BJJ. She also started her MMA career. Cláudia has said, "The sport taught me how to deal with life. Today, I am a completely different person, thanks to martial arts."
Training and Teams
Cláudia used to train with the Nova União team. This team included former UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo. She became the youngest BJJ black belt in Nova União's history.
In March 2016, Cláudia opened her own gym. In August 2016, she moved to Pennsylvania, USA. She left Nova União at that time. She also trained at the Jackson-Wink MMA Academy. In early 2018, Cláudia moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. She trained at the UFC Performance Institute and Xtreme Couture there.
Cláudia Gadelha's MMA Career
Cláudia Gadelha started her professional MMA career on June 5, 2008. Her first fight was at Force Fighting Championship 1. She won this fight very quickly. She won by using an armbar technique in just 17 seconds. After this, Cláudia won her next six fights. This gave her an impressive 7–0 record.
In 2011, Cláudia could not fight due to a leg issue. When she returned, she filmed Fight Xchange. This was a documentary series. It followed six mixed martial artists. Three were from Canada and three from Brazil. They trained together for upcoming fights.
On April 20, 2012, Cláudia made her North American MMA debut. She fought Valérie Létourneau at Wreck MMA: Road to Glory. She won the fight by a split decision. In her next fight, on September 21, 2012, she won by TKO. She defeated Adriana Vieira at Shooto Brazil 34. In January 2014, fans voted Cláudia as the 'Fan Favorite Fighter of the Year 2013'.
Fighting in Invicta FC
Cláudia was supposed to fight for the Strawweight Championship at Invicta FC 4. However, a broken nose prevented her from fighting. She was replaced by another fighter.
After healing, Cláudia fought Hérica Tibúrcio on May 11, 2013. She won this fight in Brazil. Cláudia then made her Invicta FC debut at Invicta FC 6. She fought Ayaka Hamasaki, who was also undefeated. Cláudia won by TKO in the third round. This win earned her a chance to fight for the Invicta FC strawweight title.
On December 7, 2013, Cláudia was set to challenge for the title again. But she had to go to the hospital due to illness. This caused the fight to be canceled.
Joining the UFC
On December 11, 2013, the UFC announced that Cláudia Gadelha had signed with them. She was one of eleven strawweight fighters to join. They were meant to compete on The Ultimate Fighter season 20. This season would crown the first UFC strawweight champion. However, in April 2014, it was announced that Cláudia would not be on the show. Instead, she signed a direct contract with the UFC.
UFC Fights and Challenges
Cláudia Gadelha fought in the UFC's first female strawweight fight. This was on July 16, 2014, against Tina Lähdemäki. Cláudia won the fight by unanimous decision.
Her next fight was against Joanna Jędrzejczyk on December 13, 2014. Cláudia lost this fight by split decision. After the fight ended, Cláudia accidentally punched Joanna. She quickly apologized, saying she didn't hear the bell. The UFC decided not to punish her because she showed immediate regret. Many people thought Cláudia should have won this fight.
In 2015, Cláudia was supposed to fight Aisling Daly. But she had to pull out due to a back injury. Later, she faced Jessica Aguilar on August 1, 2015. She won this fight by unanimous decision.
Coaching and Title Fights
In early 2016, the UFC announced Cláudia would be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 23. Her rival coach was Joanna Jędrzejczyk. They had a rematch for the UFC Strawweight Championship on July 8, 2016. Cláudia lost this title fight by unanimous decision. This fight was very exciting and earned a 'Fight of the Night' bonus.
On November 19, 2016, she defeated Cortney Casey. She won by unanimous decision.
Later UFC Career
Cláudia faced Karolina Kowalkiewicz on June 3, 2017. She won this fight by submission in the first round. This win also earned her a 'Performance of the Night' bonus.
She then fought Jéssica Andrade on September 23, 2017. Cláudia lost this fight by unanimous decision. However, their fight was so exciting that it earned both fighters a 'Fight of the Night' bonus.
In 2018, Cláudia fought Carla Esparza on June 9. She won by split decision. Later that year, on December 8, she lost to Nina Ansaroff by unanimous decision.
In 2019, Cláudia faced Randa Markos on July 6. She won this fight by unanimous decision. She was scheduled to fight Cynthia Calvillo later that year. But she had to withdraw due to an ankle injury.
Final Fights and Retirement
In 2020, Cláudia was set to fight Alexa Grasso. But the fight was canceled because Grasso weighed too much. Cláudia then fought Angela Hill on May 16, 2020. She won this fight by split decision.
She was scheduled to fight Yan Xiaonan in September 2020. A knee injury caused a delay. They fought on November 7, 2020. Cláudia lost this fight by unanimous decision.
On December 17, 2021, Cláudia Gadelha announced her retirement from professional MMA.
Life After Fighting
After retiring, Cláudia Gadelha started working for the UFC. She helps develop fighters in her home country of Brazil. She has taken on important roles. These include Director of Business Development for the UFC. She is also the Senior Director of Jiu-Jitsu Strategy & Business Development for UFC BJJ.
Achievements and Awards
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- She competed in and won the first Women's Strawweight fight in UFC history.
- She earned 'Fight of the Night' bonuses two times.
- She earned a 'Performance of the Night' bonus one time.
- UFC.com Awards
- In 2016, her fight against Joanna Jędrzejczyk was ranked #6 'Fight of the Year'.
- Women's MMA Awards
- She was voted 'Fan Favorite Fighter of the Year' in 2013.
- MMAjunkie.com
- Her fight against Joanna Jędrzejczyk was 'Fight of the Month' in July 2016.
- Her fight against Jéssica Andrade was 'Fight of the Month' in September 2017.
Mixed martial arts record summary
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 23 matches | 18 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By submission | 7 | 0 |
| By decision | 9 | 5 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 18–5 | Yan Xiaonan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira | November 7, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 18–4 | Angela Hill | Decision (split) | UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris | May 16, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 17–4 | Randa Markos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 239 | July 6, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–4 | Nina Ansaroff | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 231 | December 8, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 16–3 | Carla Esparza | Decision (split) | UFC 225 | June 9, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 15–3 | Jéssica Andrade | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami | September 23, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 15–2 | Karolina Kowalkiewicz | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 212 | June 3, 2017 | 1 | 3:03 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–2 | Cortney Casey | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2 | November 19, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Loss | 13–2 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale | July 8, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 13–1 | Jessica Aguilar | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 190 | August 1, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | UFC Women's Strawweight title eliminator. |
| Loss | 12–1 | Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Decision (split) | UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic | December 13, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 12–0 | Tina Lähdemäki | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller | July 16, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 11–0 | Ayaka Hamasaki | TKO (punches) | Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg | July 13, 2013 | 3 | 3:58 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | Invicta FC Strawweight title eliminator. |
| Win | 10–0 | Hérica Tibúrcio | Decision (unanimous) | Max Sport 13.2 | May 11, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | Catchweight (117 lb) bout. |
| Win | 9–0 | Adriana Vieira | TKO (punches) | Shooto Brazil 34 | September 21, 2012 | 1 | 1:35 | Brasília, Brazil | Flyweight bout. |
| Win | 8–0 | Valérie Létourneau | Decision (split) | Wreck MMA: Road to Glory | April 20, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Gatineau, Quebec, Canada | Catchweight (130 lb) bout. |
| Win | 7–0 | Kalindra Faria | Submission (armbar) | Hard Fight Championship | September 25, 2010 | 1 | 1:10 | Piracicaba, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–0 | Alessandra Silva | Submission (armbar) | Expo Fighting Championship: Day Two | August 22, 2010 | 1 | N/A | Sorocaba, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–0 | Ariane Monteiro | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Itu Fight Championship | June 4, 2010 | 1 | 2:08 | Itu, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | Davina Maciel | Submission (armbar) | Vision Fight 1 | December 20, 2009 | 1 | 1:26 | Boa Vista, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Aline Nery | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto Brazil 14 | November 28, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Juliana de Sousa | Submission (armbar) | Watch Out Combat Show 4 | June 25, 2009 | 1 | 1:29 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Elaine Leite | Submission (armbar) | Force Fighting Championship 1 | June 5, 2008 | 1 | 0:17 | Aparecida, Brazil |
See also
- List of female mixed martial artists
