Jessica Andrade claims Claudia Gadelha’s reputation is ‘damaged,’ no longer considered Brazilian - UFC Japan

There are some fighters who don’t necessarily care to fight one of their fellow countrymen (or women). Take Anderson Silva for example, who says there are plenty of other non-Brazilian fighters in the game for him to take on if he had his choice.

Jessica Andrade, however, doesn’t mind mixing it up against her fellow Brazilians, gearing up to face Claudia Gadelha at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 117 event tomorrow night (Fri., Sept. 22, 2017) in Saitama, Japan. In fact, you can’t call her showdown against Gadelha “Brazilian vs. Brazilian” because Claudia has pretty much forgotten about her home country.

“I don’t know if you can call it that, since she pretty much left everybody there in Brazil,” said Andrade during a recent interview with Bloody Elbow. “Since she left Brazil and she went to a U.S.-based camp with U.S. coaches and training partners, she left us and everybody back home, so it’s not as if she’s fighting for Brazil.”

In 2016, Gadelha left Nova Uniao for Luttrell/Yee MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., in an attempt to increase her mixed martial arts (MMA) IQ as part of her evolution, saying Brazil is behind the U.S. in that aspect.

According to Andrade, comments such as those are what don’t sit right with her ... or Brazil.

“A lot of people in Brazil are not happy with her,” stated Andrade. “Because of the way things went and because of the statements she made about the country and the people there who are involved in fighting. This is something that she has to be responsible for. It was her decision, as was the way she dealt with it, and her reputation in Brazil was damaged because of it. Especially around the people that are in the sport.”

Still, Andrade says learning new tricks won’t help Gadelha once she gets hit.

“Claudia, since she moved away from Brazil, she says she has changed and her style is different, but the big thing is whenever you get hit — chances are you’ll revert back to who you are, to your origins as a martial artist. And as much as she’s probably interested in striking with me to begin with, as soon as the first hand hits she’ll revert back to who she has always been.”

Fighting words.

UFC Fight Night 117 features a revamped Light Heavyweight showdown between Ovince Saint Preux and Yushin Okami, who will step foot inside the Octagon for the first time since 2013 after Mauricio Rua came down with an injury.

To see who else is fighting at UFC Fight Night 117 click here.