The Ultimate Fighter finale will be decided Friday at 07:00 p.m. between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha. This will not be the first time the fighters face each other in the octagon.
The previous encounter was in a non-title fight where Joanna was victorious. According to Fox Sports, at that moment one of the greatest rivalries in the sports’ history was born. The rivals will fight inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Polish fighter, Jedrzejczyk, has a record of 11 victories and no losses. Her key wins have been against Carla Esparza (UFC 185), Claudia Gadelha (UFC on FOX 13), Valerie Letourneau (UFC 193), and Jessica Penne (UFC Fight Night 69).
Joanna Jedrzejczyk has a Muay Thai fighter style with strong takedown defense. She is a fluid striker on the outside. She usually throws a high volume and keeps the pace during the first 5 rounds, says MMA Mania.
Beating Gadelha in the past is an advantage to her confidence, but she still needs to work to defend herself from Gadelha’s jab and long kicks. To defeat Gadelha Joanna should look for an uppercut similar to the one that makes her win against her rival in the past. She could also push off the elbows as she did against Carla Esparza.To win the finale, Jedrzejczyk needs to avoid takedown attempts.
An Ultimate Fighter Finale worth waiting for
Claudia Gadelha is not an easy rival, and Jedrzejczyk will have to sweat to win the belt. The Brazilian fighter has a record of 13 victories and one loss, which was against her current Polish rival. Gadelha’s key wins were against Joanna Aguilar (UFC 190), Valerie Letourneau (Wreck MMA), and Tina Lahdemaki (UFC Fight Night 45).
Claudia has a fighting advantage for being from Brazil; she has a strong Brazilian jiu-jitsu background and according to MMA Mania, she is one of the most stronger women in her division. She also has an impressive wrestling game. Gadelha won her last encounter by pressuring her opponent with punches and takedowns, MMA Mania reports.
MMA Mania also says that, in order to beat Jedrzejczyk, the Brazilian fighter should insist of landing hard punches to open up the takedown, even though Joanna is hard to hit and her defense moves are great. But she cannot do both at the same time, and Claudia should pressure here to have an opportunity.
It is important that Gadelha defeats her rival because no other fighter stands a chance against the Polish athlete. To be beaten a second time by the only person that has beaten her would be devastating for Claudia.
Jedrzejczyk has no had the belt for a long time, but if she beats Gadelha on more time, it would be difficult to see her lose in a long time. Both women have a great chance to hold on to the title and tonight it will be decided who is going to be The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale champion.
Source: MMA Mania