Tag: Claudia Gadelha

UFC Fight Night 117 Preview: 3 Fights You Can’t Miss from Japan Card

I come before you today not to sell snake oil. UFC Fight Night 117 is not a good card. 
The card, which happens from the venerated Saitama Super Arena in Japan and airs Friday night in the United States, lost what meager shine it had when headline…

I come before you today not to sell snake oil. UFC Fight Night 117 is not a good card. 

The card, which happens from the venerated Saitama Super Arena in Japan and airs Friday night in the United States, lost what meager shine it had when headliner Mauricio “Shogun” Rua withdrew because of—and you better sit down—a knee injury.

Now aging grinder Yushin Okami, who wasn’t on the UFC roster one day before this call-up, will move up to light heavyweight to face Ovince Saint Preux.

Is this card truly a must-watch? It would be disingenuous or just downright strange to say yes. Nevertheless, there are always fights worth watching on any big MMA card. Let’s take a look now at three fights to check out when the action begins on FXX, which you may know as the channel that usually plays The Simpsons on a loop.

    

Featherweight

Teruto Ishihara (9-4-2) vs Rolando Dy (8-5-1)

Odds (courtesy of OddsShark): Ishihara -169

Airs on: FXX

Ishihara is known as much for girl-chasing (warning: NSFW) as he is for his style in the cage, but both are pretty flamboyant. He’s a headhunter with the power to put the theory into practice, a southpaw who rode a devastating left hook to eight knockout wins in his nine-win pro career.

Dy is a total unknown to the vast majority of fight fans; you may recall his violent TKO loss to Alex Caceres in his recent UFC debut. He’ll probably be looking to stand with Ishihara, taking an icy tactical approach to counter the fire of the Japanese showman. Things could get violent.

     

Light Heavyweight

Gokhan Saki (0-1-0) vs Henrique da Silva (12-3)

Odds: Saki -154

Airs on: FXX

As evidenced by the aforementioned main event, the 205-pound division needs itself some assistance. Is Saki the guy to get it done?

Saki is an elite pro kickboxer making the transition to MMA. That’s a dangerous gambit, but some have succeeded. In Saki’s UFC debut, Silva represents a fine bit of matchmaking. He is a beatable opponent, but he has enough wrestling and striking power to force Saki to concentrate and fight a complete MMA fight. It is entirely possible that Silva wins this fight. 

But for the sake of the UFC’s most moribund division—not to mention your own entertainment quotient—Saki is the obvious rooting interest.

     

Strawweight

Claudia Gadelha (15-2) vs Jessica Andrade (16-6)

Odds: Gadelha -286

Airs on: FXX

The co-main event is the unadulterated best fight on this card.

Gadelha is one of the best female fighters in the world and would be even more famous if she could have managed to get over the to-date insurmountable wall that is the great Joanna Jedrzejczyk. 

As it is, though, she’s plenty formidable on her own, with strength to burn and a ground game without a lot of equals. 

Andrade’s game has a similar balance, with a power grappling game that could at least hold Gadelha’s at bay. On top of that, though, she’s extremely aggressive and very active on the feet, bursting forward with high-volume punch combinations.

Andrade is one of those fighters who is dangerous to any opponent. She may not win, but she can. Gadelha will have to stay within herself, avoid lengthy striking exchanges (and the damage they can easily inflict when you’re trading with Andrade) and work takedowns for top control and ground-and-pound.

No matter who comes out on top, this is a big fight and it will be fun to watch.

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UFC Fight Night 117: Claudia Gadelha, Jessica Andrade Looking to Get Back to Title Contention

Both Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Andrade know what it takes to compete for the UFC strawweight title. The two former title contenders meet Friday night in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 117 from Saitama, Japan. The event airs live on FXX. For Gadelha, this fight presents another opportunity to solidify her standing in […]

Both Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Andrade know what it takes to compete for the UFC strawweight title. The two former title contenders meet Friday night in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 117 from Saitama, Japan. The event airs live on FXX. For Gadelha, this fight presents another opportunity to solidify her standing in […]

Video: Joe Rogan Previews Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Andrade

An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-main event preview without Joe Rogan simply will not do. That’s why the promotion has called upon their long-time color commentator to deliver his analysis of UFC Fight Night 117’s co-headliner. This Friday night (Sept. 22), strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Andrade will clash inside the Saitama Super Arena in […]

An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-main event preview without Joe Rogan simply will not do. That’s why the promotion has called upon their long-time color commentator to deliver his analysis of UFC Fight Night 117’s co-headliner. This Friday night (Sept. 22), strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Andrade will clash inside the Saitama Super Arena in […]

Jessica Andrade Says Claudia Gadelha Will Regret Striking With Her

Jessica Andrade has delivered a warning to Claudia Gadelha. This Friday night (Sept. 22), Andrade and Gadelha will do battle inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The bout will be part of the main card of UFC Fight Night 117. In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Andrade said Gadelha’s change in style won’t […]

Jessica Andrade has delivered a warning to Claudia Gadelha. This Friday night (Sept. 22), Andrade and Gadelha will do battle inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The bout will be part of the main card of UFC Fight Night 117. In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Andrade said Gadelha’s change in style won’t […]

Claudia Gadelha Expects To Receive Title Shot If She Beats Jessica Andrade

Claudia Gadelha knows what she wants, which is UFC gold. However, she knows following her win at UFC 212, she knows that it wasn’t time for a new title shot just yet. Gadelha (15-2) is coming off a quick submission win over former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 212. Prior to that fight, she […]

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Claudia Gadelha knows what she wants, which is UFC gold. However, she knows following her win at UFC 212, she knows that it wasn’t time for a new title shot just yet.

Gadelha (15-2) is coming off a quick submission win over former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 212. Prior to that fight, she had beaten Cortney Casey, which puts her at 2-0 since a failed five-round title beat down by current champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk at last July’s TUF 23 Finale.

Now, she is set to take on Jessica Andrade at UFC Fight Night 117. With this upcoming bout and possibility of winning the bout, Gadelha is hoping that this one will do the trick.

“I think that, getting past Jessica, I won’t have anything else to prove to anyone,” Gadelha told MMAjunkie. “I had two close fights with Joanna. If I don’t deserve that title shot, I don’t think anyone else does.”

A second title fight with the champion wouldn’t necessarily mean a trilogy with JedrzejczykThe promotion has already scheduled the UFC 217 bout between Jedrzejczyk, and Rose Namajunas could see the UFC’s 125-pound belt changing hands on Nov. 4.

“I think Rose doesn’t stand a chance against Joanna,” Gadelha said. I’m coming off a win, so I’d rather be fighting someone who was also coming off a win,” Gadelha said.

Gadelha had two things that she wanted to do on her mind. One of them was to stay active and the second thing was to fight in Japan, which she will accomplish.

“All the respect, the hierarchy – that’s very important to me,” Gadelha said. “I wanted to fight in Japan one day. And since (the UFC doesn’t) go there every day – or even every year – I wanted to be on this card, so I asked for it.”

Despite her desire to compete, Gadelha had to wait for the promotion to line her up with her next opponent. With six weeks to go before the event, no one had accepted the challenge. Thus, she had to take action and book a fight for herself via social media.

“It’s a soap opera at this point, but I think Carla Esparza and I should fight,” Gadelha said. “I think this fight should happen. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity. I also even thought about Felice (Herrig), who’s coming off a few wins. I did want to fight someone coming off a win. But then nobody said yes, only Jessica.”

“I don’t know what goes on with her,” Gadelha said. “I don’t think she’s professional. I think she fights more for the money. She has no goals in the division. She was the champion once, but I think she got very lax. She fights for the sake of it. She doesn’t really want anything, she has no objectives in there.”

“I’m waking up when I would be waking up there, sleeping when I should be sleeping there, and training when I should be fighting there,” Gadelha said. “This is what’s been very productive in my training: I can move around my coaches and the people who help out in my camp so it all revolves around me.”

UFC Fight Night 117 takes place on Friday, September 23, 2017 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event will be the fifth that the promotion has hosted in Saitama, and first since UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson in September 2015.

“Jessica has some good physical characteristics: She’s very strong, she’s got a lot of heart, and she moves forward against her opponents,” Gadelha said. “I think we have similar physical features, as I’m also one of the strongest in the division.

“But I don’t think she’s a very technical fighter. I think she lacks a lot in that department, and that’s where I have to work.”

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Claudia Gadelha Set To Make Return At UFC Fight Night 117

A new bout has been added to UFC Fight Night 117. It appears that if you take matchmaking into your own hands, it seems to pay off. UFC strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Andrade recently did this on social media. After Gadelha issued an Instagram challenge to Andrade, who accepted it, Combate.com confirms that the […]

The post Claudia Gadelha Set To Make Return At UFC Fight Night 117 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

A new bout has been added to UFC Fight Night 117. It appears that if you take matchmaking into your own hands, it seems to pay off. UFC strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Andrade recently did this on social media.

After Gadelha issued an Instagram challenge to Andrade, who accepted it, Combate.com confirms that the bout is on. According to their report, the two fighters are set to fight each other at the upcoming event.

Gadelha (15-2) is coming off a quick submission win over former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz, at last month’s UFC 212. Prior to that fight, she had beaten Cortney Casey, which puts her at 2-0 since a failed five-round title beat down by current champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk at last July’s TUF 23 Finale.

On the flip side, Andrade (16-6) is coming off her own unsuccessful stab at Jedrzejczyk’s belt, at UFC 211. The setback snapped the three fight streak that Andrade.

The event is set to take place on Friday, Sept. 22 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, near Tokyo. Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux in a light heavyweight bout is set to headline this event. Although the broadcast details and lineup has yet to be finalized, here is the updated card:

Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux

Jussier Formiga vs. Ulka Sasaki

Henrique da Silva vs. Gokhan Saki

Chan-Mi Jeon vs. Syuri Kondo

Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Andrade

 

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