“I Had a Tough Life”- Claudia Gadelha Reveals Why UFC Is More Than a Sport

The co-main event at UFC Fight Night 176 saw Claudia Gadelha lock horns with the most active UFC fighter in recent times, Angela Hill.

The bout progressed with both fighters bringing in some master skills into the fight. The toe-to-toe affair kept changing sides in terms of who was winning at any moment. While the first round saw Hill throw efficient jabs, Claudia responded with her own powerful hooks.

At the end of the bout, Claudia landed 92/218 strikes, 84/210 significant strikes, and scored 1 successful takedown out of 4 attempts. Compared to that, Angela landed 93/179 strikes and 90/176 significant strikes with zero takedowns.

Claudia emerges the victor by way of a split decision as the judges scored the fight 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 in her favor.

While Claudia is glad that she overcame the challenge against Angela Hill, there is something that makes her happier. In the backstage interview after her win, she said,

“I’m a jungle kid. I’m from the North-East of Brazil. I grew up very poor and I had a tough life growing up. Now, I live a beautiful life. My family is everything for me. And I didn’t have a good relationship with my family, growing up. And fighting taught me how to have a good relationship with my family. That was one of my main goals. making my mom happy, making my mom proud. And I’m here, still fighting, my 23rd fight. I’ve been fighting [for] so long. I’m a pioneer of the sport.”

Why did Claudia Gadelha choose to fight Angela Hill?

Even though “Claudinha” is a known grappler, she faced Hill, a formidable striker. That too in such unprecedented times, when most places for training just cannot function. However, the reason she gave for going ahead just proves why she is a true fighter.

She said, “The reason why I stood up with Angela Hill tonight; [who] is a great striker, and I’m a grappler, I grew up doing Jiu-Jitsu, I’m just learning a lot of new skills standing; is because wanted to show my new skills. I wanted to show I have abilities to get in there and strike with the best strikers in the world.”

What did you think about the bout between Claudi and Angela? Let us know in the comments section!

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