UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha don’t like each other.
It’s as simple as that.
Their rivalry goes back to Dec. 2014 when the two first fought to a close split-decision, which was ultimately awarded to the Polish striker Jedrzejczyk. Gadelha had thrown a punch after the final bell, but immediately apologized for it.
Fast forward over 12 months later and the two combustible elements are coaching opposite each other on the set of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 23, which will premier on April 20, 2016 on FOX Sports 1. As those close to the fighters expected, it didn’t go off without a hitch.
UFC president Dana White, who was there on set during the finale staredown between Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha, claims that a brutal fight occurred between the pair right on the very last day.
From White’s conversation with MMA Fighting:
“Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha, on the last day of filming when everything shut down, got into a full-blown fist fight. Head kicks. Nasty fight in The Ultimate Fighter gym. The show is over, the cameras were put away. The sad and scary part was very few people were left in the gym. The last day of The Ultimate Fighter is almost like the last day of school. Everybody is signing each other’s stuff and all this other stuff. You noticed when they were showing each other the water bottles [during the press conference]? Joanna Jedrzejczyk hit her with a water bottle and that’s how the fight started. Wait until you see this season of The Ultimate Fighter with these two. They hate each other and the staredown in the gym was even crazy before the fight happened.”
This wasn’t the first brawl to occur on the TUF set and it likely won’t be the last.
Although I’m sure Jedrzejczyk and Nova Uniao’s Gadelha cannot wait to don the four-ounce gloves, they will have to wait four more months to throw down inside the Octagon when they butt heads in the main event of the TUF 23 Finale on July 8.
No word yet on whether they will garner extra security at weigh ins.