Claudia Gadelha (14-2) got the win at UFC Fight Night 100 earlier tonight (Sat., Nov. 19, 2016) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and got away with landing an illegal kick in the process. Gadelha, 27, defeated Cortney Casey (6-4) via unanimous decision inside Ginasio do Ibirapuera.
There was some controversy in the third round when she landed an illegal kick on Casey, who was on the ground, but referee Fernando Portella did not rule the illegal kick intentional nor deduct a point. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 for Gadelha, who utilized her takedowns and was the more accurate striker throughout the three-round contest.
The first round was a closely-contested battle. Gadelha and Casey were pretty much even on the feet, but the No.1-ranked UFC women's Strawweight landed a huge takedown toward the end of the round. Casey made it back to her feet and landed a throw right before the end of the round, but Gadelha was able to reverse positions after hitting the canvas.
In the second, Casey tried to push Gadelha against the fence, but the Brazilian immediately reversed positions. Gadelha landed a beautiful double-leg takedown soon after, but Casey was able to get back up to her feet. Casey continued to be aggressive with her striking, but Gadelha changed levels and took her down to the mat once more with just under a minute left in the round. From full guard, Casey threw strikes from the bottom, while Gadelha defended and threw strikes from the top.
In the third, Gadelha landed another takedown with just over three minutes left. As Casey tried to get to her feet, Gadelha landed an illegal kick to the top of Casey's head. The referee halted the action to allow Casey to recover and incredulously, did not deduct a point. Gadelha started to land on the feet and Casey looked to still be greatly affected by the illegal kick. Gadelha pressed Casey up against the fence and landed another takedown. Casey got back to her feet with just under two minutes left in the fight. Casey continue to move forward, but Gadelha was the one landing for frequently. With just under 30 seconds, Gadelha landed yet another takedown and finished on top hunting for a side-triangle choke.
Gadelha gets back into the win column after losing to division champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyyk, back in July. She is now 3-2 in UFC. Meanwhile, Casey -- who has proved to be one of the better fighters in the division despite not being ranked --falls to 2-3 in UFC competition.
For complete UFC Fight Night 100: "Bader vs. Nogueira 2" results, including play-by-play updates, click here.