Claudia Gadelha is the clear top contender to UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk right now, but she’s not getting the next title shot. With Ronda Rousey drawing an audience that only watches her cards, it only made sense to pair Jedrzejczyk with her. So when Rousey vs. Holly Holm got moved up from January to November, it meant “Joanna Champion” needed a new challenger (Valerie Letourneay) because Gadelha’s thumb injury won’t be healed in time. Now, Gadelha is taking out her anger on the champion:
https://instagram.com/p/8YyWR8j6E9/
Presumably, she’s calling Joanna Champion “Gollum” because she has relatively angular facial features that are amplified when she’s dehydrated at weigh-ins. Jessica Penne did the same thing during the weigh-in for her fight with Joanna, which was surprising because she poured her heart out on The Ultimate Fighter about how much bullying about her nose devastated her as a teenager. Not necessarily the most adult move on the part of either fighter.
Gadelha will presumably face the winner of the Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau fight that takes place next month at UFC 193. It will be the co-main event of UFC’s debut in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia thanks t a change in local law ending the ban on mixed martial arts in a cage.
