It’s never a good sign when the winner of a fight is booed, but that was the case after Claudia Gadelha defeated Randa Markos at UFC 239.
Claudia Gadelha was on a bit of a rough streak heading into UFC 239. Having lost two of her last three bouts to Jessica Andrade and Nina Ansaroff, her sole win was against Carla Esparza at UFC 225. That bout was a win via split decision, in a fight that many thought Esparza should’ve won. Prior to this current rough streak of hers, she was a top contender at strawweight, having had two close fights against former champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
Randa Markos despite her record is a very tough fight for anyone at strawweight. In spite of her inconsistencies throughout her fight career, she has defeated many tough fighters. Including former UFC champion Carla Esparza, and former Invicta FC champion Angela Hill. That win over Hill being Markos’ last win, this past March in Nashville.
Round one was an interesting round; Gadelha moved forward for the duration of the round, landing good 1-2’s and even throwing in a few kicks for good measure. Markos had her back to the fence for the majority of the round and never did push the pressure as she anticipated a takedown attempt from the Brazilian fighter. Markos did land some shots of her own, however, it was a clear Gadelha round.
The majority of the second round Markos continued to be tentative. In the meantime, Gadelha began to find a home for her jab and straight right, as she controlled the octagon. However, near the end of the round, Markos began to open up, landing a good right hand, and landing some solid strikes when in the clinch. At the end of the round Gadelha shot for a takedown, however, Markos stuffed it and landed a big knee as we headed to round three.
Round three was pretty barren of action, as the crowd would boo multiple times throughout the final round. Gadelha did land the better shots throughout the third frame however, as Markos wasn’t nearly as aggressive as her counterpart through the final five minutes. Those final minutes possibly costing her a spot in the UFC top-five as a result.
On the scorecards, Gadelha took the fight. The win won’t get Claudia Gadelha a title shot, but it does get her on the right track.
Claudia Gadelha def. Randa Markos by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Check out the rest of the results from UFC 239 here!
