Joanna Jedrzejczyk defeats Claudia Gadelha to retain UFC strawweight title
By AP
Last Updated: 09/07/16 8:21am
Joanna Jedrzejczyk retained her UFC strawweight title with a unanimous decision victory over archrival Claudia Gadelha in Las Vegas on Friday.
Jedrzejczyk (12-0) and Gadelha continued their long-running feud with a back-and-forth bout in the second meeting between the world's top two 115-pound fighters.
Champion Jedrzejczyk had claimed a split decision victory over Gadelha in December 2014, but struggled to impose herself during the opening two rounds.
Gadelha (13-2) largely controlled the first two rounds with takedowns and timely strikes, dropping Jedrzejczyk inside the first round with a stinging left hook.
However, she failed to maintain her dominance as Jedrzejczyk rallied decisively with her superior striking and remarkable conditioning.
Jedrzejczyk battered Gadelha with kicks, elbows and punches in the final three rounds, leaving her Brazilian opponent bloody and open-mouthed.
Gadelha valiantly tried more takedowns, but Jedrzejczyk defended and kept throwing blows to the bell.
Two judges scored the bout 48-46 for Jedrzejczyk, and a third saw it 48-45.
