Joanna Jedrzejczyk (photo via UFC.com)

By FCF Staff

Joanna Jędrzejczyk and her ground skills were tested during the opening rounds of her bout last night with Claudia Gadelha, and it sounds like that’s what the strawweight champ expected.

In the first two frames of the TUF 23 Finale, Gadelha repeatedly took Jędrzejczyk to the mat. Once the fight was there, however, Gadelha was mostly unable to land any significant strikes, or set up any submissions. For the remainder of the fight, Jędrzejczyk out struck the challenger and went on to win via unanimous decision.

Following the thrilling contest, Jędrzejczyk told FOX Sports 1 the following (quotes via FOX Sports press release):

“I’m very happy, I expected a tough fight. I did my job. I knew she was going to come out strong. I waited for my chance.”

“We knew she’d be strong in the first two rounds. She couldn’t do anything on the ground and I did my job.”

Jędrzejczyk has defended the UFC’s 115 pound title three times now since she stopped Carla Esparza in 2015 to become champ. The Polish star earned a split decision win over Gadelha in 2014.