Is Claudia Gadelha still a strawweight title contender?
Longtime observers of women’s MMA will recall [autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] was going to be part of “The Ultimate Fighter 20,” which crowned the UFC’s first strawweight champion, but then opted out of the championship tournament.
With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps she missed her best opportunity to become UFC champion. Business picked up soon after Carla Esparza became first 115-pound champ, and the Brazilian competitor who seemed destined to claim gold never quite got there.
But while it feels like Gadelha (17-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has been around forever, she’s still only 31. And she’s won two out of her past three fights, fending off Randa Markos last time out at UFC 239. With a victory over a fighter who is looking for a statement in [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), Gadelha has the opportunity to announce she still belongs on the strawweight short list.
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