Welcome back to Keys to Victory, one of the best places to discover the gameplans fighters should utilize in order to win. In this edition, Fight Week rolls on, and the UFC strawweight title is being defended at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, as champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends against Claudia Gadelha. They fought to a contentious decision a few years back, and now it’s time for a rematch.
Claudia Gadelha
Takedown Timing
Claudia needs to be patient with her takedowns. She can’t rush from too far out, otherwise she’ll probably eat a ton of knees, get stuffed, and get blasted with hammerfists while Joanna sprawls out. Claudia needs to threaten, or at least distract, Joanna with her striking. Flash a jab and then go for a take down. Use a hook at the end of a combo to initiate a clinch to go for a trip or a throw.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Takedown Defense
Gadelha will want to close the distance and get takedowns. Joanna needs to stuff takedowns and more importantly, make Claudia pay for those attempts. Hammerfists and elbows after a sprawl will get Claudia nervous and a little gunshy.
Joanna and Claudia
Win the Clinch
Both fighters will need to win clinch battles to end the night as champion. If Gadelha can avoid getting chewed up by Joanna’s elbows, push Jedrzejczyk into the fence and get takedowns from there, she’ll be doing well. On the other hand, if Joanna can avoid the ground, beat up Claudia on the feet and tire her out with failed take down attempts, there’s a very solid chance Joanna finishes Gadelha.
You can watch Gadelha and Jedrzejczyk look to implement these, and possibly other, lesser, game plans in their rematch. Their bout for the strawweight title is the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, live on Fox Sports 1, starting at 10 p.m ET.