Claudia Gadelha still has to go through a bit of a weight-cut before she takes on Yan Xiaonan on Saturday
Brazilian MMA star Claudia Gadelha looks to be in great shape ahead of her fight against Yan Xiaonan on Saturday.
The 31-year-old is ranked #4 in the UFC Women’s Strawweight rankings and another win should take her closer to a title shot.
Gadelha faces a tough opponent in the Chinese star Xiaonan though. Xiaonan is on a five-fight win streak and is yet to lose since signing for the UFC.
The Brazilian is also on a two-fight win streak and posted a couple of photos regarding her weight-cut. Gadelha posted a story on Instagram and added that she was 55kg, which is just a few kilos away from being the right weight for the Strawweight division.
The weight-cut is one of the toughest parts of being a fighter these days, and it isn’t new for someone to lose a few pounds just on the eve of a fight.
Missing weight also has severe repercussions as fighters lose part of their fight earnings and also cannot win a title if it is on the line.
The 31-year-old Brazilian comes into this fight with a lot of confidence. She was asked by MMA Fighting if she wanted to fight for the title or face some of her previous rivals, and the Brazilian claimed she was keen on winning the gold but had other plans too.
Gadelha added that she had fight honour and wanted a rematch against Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Carla Esparza.
Jedrzejczyk is one of the greatest female athletes in the history of MMA and has two wins over the Brazilian. The pair faced off for the UFC Strawweight title in 2016 but it was the Pole that came up with the win.
Gadelha seems to be in great touch now, and it will be interesting to see how she does against Xiaonan.
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