Former UFC title challenger Claudia Gadelha has reportedly indicated her intention to retire from MMA.
Gadelha recently notified the UFC of her plan to stop competing in the sport, per a report from Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. The recent story explained that Gadelha is no longer on the UFC roster after informing the promotion that she doesn’t plan to continue fighting.
The 33-year-old fighter is leaving the UFC roster with a promotional record of seven wins and five losses. Her MMA record as a whole currently sits at 18 wins through 23 appearances.
She most notably challenged for the UFC Strawweight Championship in 2016, fighting to a unanimous decision loss against Joanna Jędrzejczyk. The fight was heavily promoted, as they coached on The Ultimate Fighter in the lead-up, and they headlined the live Season 23 finale.
Looking Back At Gadelha’s Career
Gadelha has fought as a pro since 2008. After putting together an undefeated record of 11 consecutive wins, she signed with the UFC in 2014. She went on to become one of the more active strawweight fighters in the following years.
She notably earned a first-round submission win against Karolina Kowalkiewicz in 2017. This made her only the second woman at that time to beat the former title challenger.
Gadelha took a loss in her last fight in November 2020 to Yan Xiaonan. She had momentum in the division before then, however. Her two previous fights were victories over veteran fighters Randa Markos and Angela Hill.
Gadelha has yet to comment on her departure from the UFC roster, although she has acknowledged the news on social media and updated her Instagram bio to say “Former UFC Fighter.”
How will you remember the career of Claudia Gadelha?
