When it comes to women UFC fighters, there is Ronda Rousey and then there’s everyone else. But for casual fans, it would be a huge mistake to overlook women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk – 10-0, 4 KOs, 1 SUB. The Polish striker will defend her title against Brazilian rival Claudia Gadelha – 13-1, 2 KOs, 6 SUBs – at UFC 195, and it’s by far the most exciting women’s matchup the promotion can currently make.
CURRENT ODDS
Although this matchup doesn’t happen until January, our online UFC odds have already posted money lines for the bout. The champion comes in as a -186 favorite, with Gadelha currently at +144. I’d expect the lines to shift closer to even as the fight draws near, as their first go-round was extremely close. In fact, the majority of media outlets scored the bout for the Brazilian.
THIS IS THE BEST WOMEN’S FIGHT, YOU GUYS
Yeah I said it. Look, we all know how electrifying Ronda Rousey is every time she steps into the octagon. The problem is that she’s just too good. She literally is without peer in the bantamweight division, and her only credible challenge is Cristiane Justino, who has yet to fight in the UFC and is in another weight class.
That is definitely not the case at strawweight. J-Check is a deserving champion, far ahead of most of the women at 115 pounds. She not only dethroned Carla Esparza – who emerged from TUF 20 as the first champion – but made her look completely helpless in the process. Then she laid a thorough beatdown on Jessica Penne, a well-regarded top 5 fighter.
But unlike Rousey, she has a very real threat to a long title reign, and that is Claudia Gadelha. They first met at UFC on Fox 13 in December 2014, with Joanna eking out a razor-thin split decision win. The bout itself was a fun, back-and-forth grudge match featuring the division’s best striker against its best grappler.
At the time, we didn’t know that it was a championship caliber fight, and it was an awesome surprise for anyone that tuned in to watch these then-unknown fighters.
J-Check might have the most fan-friendly fight style in the UFC. A former Muay Thai champion, her striking is technical, graceful and shockingly violent. Imagine if Anderson Silva in his prime had the aggression of a young Wanderlei Silva and you get a better idea of just how exciting she is.
Gadelha is a savage athlete and a multiple-time world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She is evolving as a striker, but has elite athleticism to fall back on. And though Joanna has demonstrated superb takedown defense, Gadelha was powerful enough to drag her to the ground several times.
Lastly, this is a real rivalry. Both women have championship swagger, and it boiled over during their face-off last year. And because they’re so far ahead of a division that’s still growing, this is definitely not the last time we’ll see them face off. And that’s a great thing.
HOW TO BET
Sign in to get the latest Jedzejczyk vs. Gadelha at UFC 195 odds. BookMaker Sportsbook offers daily updates to money lines, over/under, prop bets and more, so make sure to lock in your bets should you find a favorable wager. UFC 195 takes place on Saturday, January 2, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card will be televised live on pay-per-view starting 10 p.m. ET.
Don’t forget to check in during fight night to get live odds. During each fight, BookMaker Sportsbook updates their odds in real-time, so you can keep betting as each fight unfolds on live television. It’s a great way to hedge your bets should you fall behind. With our mobile platform, it’s never been easier to bet on UFC events.
