The Ultimate Fighter 23 coach Claudia Gadelha had a difficult time coaching the reality show opposite UFC strawweight champion and rival, Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
The Ultimate Fighter 23 premiered on FOX Sports 1 on Wednesday evening. This season is coached by UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and top contender Claudia Gadelha, who rematch in the season finale, and this time, the belt is on the line.
Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha have had bad blood since the Pole’s controversial split decision win over the Brazilian at the end of 2014, and it didn’t stop when filming The Ultimate Fighter.
“It was very hard to be around Joanna, she’s such a bully,” Gadelha told UFC Tonight on Wednesday. “Every time I had to go the gym and see her, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to see this girl again.'”
With that being said, Gadelha says she is ultimately glad she accepted her coaching position on this season of The Ultimate Fighter because it was a very good teaching and learning experience.
“I was very happy to be around these fighters,” she said. “They have a lot of talent. They want so much. You see in their eyes, you see in their feelings, that they want to be the one. It was fun to have women and men on the show. You see how much they want this. Being around them as a coach, seeing that they look up to me was a very good experience. I think I gave them everything I had. I gave them my heart, I taught them everything I knew. It was great to be around them for six weeks.”
Gadelha (13-1) got back into the win column following the Jedrzejczyk loss with a dominant unanimous decision victory over former WSOF champ Jessica Aguilar at UFC 190 last August. The 27-year old is 2-1 under the UFC banner.
The TUF 23 Finale takes place live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 8, the day before UFC 200. Jedrzejczyk vs. Gadelha II is the main event.
The Ultimate Fighter 23 airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET on FOX Sports 1.