Top 5: Brazilian Female MMA Fighters of All-Time

Top 5 Brazilian Female MMA Fighters of All-TimeThese are the top five Brazilian Female MMA Fighters of all time. Brazil has long been a powerhouse in…

Top 5 Brazilian Female MMA Fighters of All-Time

These are the top five Brazilian Female MMA Fighters of all time. Brazil has long been a powerhouse in MMA. The nation’s female athletes have made a profound impact on the UFC. From record-breaking champions to trailblazing pioneers. This article highlights the top five greatest female Brazilian MMA fighters in history.

Top Five Best Brazilian Female MMA Fighters of All-Time

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5. Bethe Correia

Bethe Correia made a significant impact on women’s MMA during her career. She rose to prominence in the UFC with an undefeated streak early on and earned a title shot against Ronda Rousey in 2015.

Bethe Correia

4. Claudia Gadelha

Claudia Gadelha was one of the pioneers of the UFC Women’s Strawweight division and a consistent top contender during her career. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with strong grappling skills, Gadelha challenged Joanna J?drzejczyk twice for the strawweight title in highly competitive bouts. Her technical skill set and contributions to the division helped pave the way for future Brazilian fighters. One of the Top Female MMA Fighters of Brazil.

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3. Jéssica Andrade

Jéssica Andrade is a former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion and easily makes the list of Brazil’s top Female MMA Fighters. She has competed in three weight classes (bantamweight, strawweight, and flyweight) and holds notable victories over Rose Namajunas, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Katlyn Chookagian. Known for her aggressive style and knockout power, Andrade is also the UFC’s all-time leader in wins among female fighters, making her a standout Brazilian athlete.

Jessica Andrade

2. Cris Cyborg

Cris Cyborg is one of the most dominant figures in MMA history. She is the only fighter, male or female, to achieve “Grand Slam Champion” status by winning world titles in five major promotions: Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the PFL, UFC, and Bellator. Known for her striking and relentless pressure, Cyborg enjoyed a remarkable 13-year unbeaten streak and has defeated some of the sport’s top names, including Gina Carano and Holly Holm. One of the greatest and easily ranks as one of the top Brazilian Female MMA Fighters of all time.

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1. Amanda Nunes

The Lioness’ Amanda Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest female MMA fighter of all time. She made history as the first woman to hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously (bantamweight and featherweight) and remains the only fighter to defend both titles while holding them concurrently. Known for her knockout power, Nunes has defeated legends like Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Valentina Shevchenko.

Her victory over Cyborg at UFC 232 in just 51 seconds cemented her status as a trailblazer in the sport. With numerous title defenses and accolades, Nunes has inspired a new generation of fighters and left an indelible mark on MMA history. Easily the top pick for the greatest Brazilian Female MMA Fighter of all time.

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    Watch: Sterling, UFC Fighters Speak To New England Patriots

    Nothing speaks to how mainstream the UFC has become quite like seeing Aljamain Sterling, Forrest Griffin, Claudia Gadelha, and Ilir Latifi speaking to six-time Superbowl winning NFL team the New England Patriots. The UFC has made a massive impact in ma…

    Nothing speaks to how mainstream the UFC has become quite like seeing Aljamain Sterling, Forrest Griffin, Claudia Gadelha, and Ilir Latifi speaking to six-time Superbowl winning NFL team the New England Patriots. The UFC has made a massive impact in mainstream culture since the ESPN deal, especially after being the only sport running during the…

    Continue Reading Watch: Sterling, UFC Fighters Speak To New England Patriots at MMA News.

    Claudia Gadelha Wants Trilogy With Joanna J?drzejczyk In Grappling

    Former UFC strawweight title challenger Claudia Gadelha wants to run it back one more time with Joanna J?drzejczyk away from the Octagon. Gadelha announced her retirement from MMA last year following a loss to Yan Xiaonan in Nov. 2020. She later admitted that her retirement was mostly due in part to concussion symptoms she noticed…

    Continue Reading Claudia Gadelha Wants Trilogy With Joanna J?drzejczyk In Grappling at MMA News.

    Former UFC strawweight title challenger Claudia Gadelha wants to run it back one more time with Joanna J?drzejczyk away from the Octagon.

    Gadelha announced her retirement from MMA last year following a loss to Yan Xiaonan in Nov. 2020. She later admitted that her retirement was mostly due in part to concussion symptoms she noticed over time.

    Before her most recent struggles, Gadelha had been considered one of the top strawweights in the UFC. But, she failed to get over the hump in two title fights against J?drzejczyk, falling to the Polish star in 2014 and 2016.

    During a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca podcast, Gadelha expressed a profound interest in a third matchup with the former strawweight champion, but in a different setting than their first two fights.

    “I’d really have liked to do a third fight with Joanna. A lot. A lot,” Gadelha said. “I think those two fights were really close, and I would’ve loved to have fought her a third time. I don’t regret not doing it. … But it would make me happy if it happens in jiu-jitsu.”

    But while Gadelha is intrigued by her dream trilogy with J?drzejczyk, she isn’t holding on to the hope of it ever coming to fruition.

    “I don’t think she’d agree to it,” Gadelha said. “It will just linger in the air, really.”

    J?drzejczyk is set to face former strawweight champion Zhang Weili in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 275. She could be on the verge of another title shot with a victory over Weili.

    Gadelha didn’t phase out of the strawweight title picture following her losses to J?drzejczyk, with impressive wins over the likes of Carla Esparza and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Yet, she was never able to earn another title shot before she called it quits.

    Gadelha seems at peace with her decision to retire from MMA but still seems to think about her rivalry with J?drzejczyk from time to time.

    How do you think a trilogy in grappling between Claudia Gadelha and Joanna J?drzejczyk would play out?

    Continue Reading Claudia Gadelha Wants Trilogy With Joanna J?drzejczyk In Grappling at MMA News.

    Claudia Gadelha Says Concussion-Like Symptoms Led To Retirement From MMA

    Claudia Gadelha has explained why she announced her retirement from MMA.

    Gadelha last fought back in November of 2020 where she suffered a decision loss to Yan Xiaonan. Since then, many wondered when she would return to the Octagon.

    Then last w…

    Claudia Gadelha

    Claudia Gadelha has explained why she announced her retirement from MMA.

    Gadelha last fought back in November of 2020 where she suffered a decision loss to Yan Xiaonan. Since then, many wondered when she would return to the Octagon.

    Then last week, the Brazilian announced her retirement from MMA. According to Gadelha, she retired due to concussion-like symptoms.

    “I don’t want anybody to think that I’m sad because I’m very happy with what’s going on in my life right now,” Gadelha said in an Instagram video (via MMAFighting). “In November of 2020 after a fight I had a really bad concussion and I had a post-concussion syndrome, which is the symptoms of a concussion for a long period of time. So I suffered with the symptoms for a little while.

    “It was very frustrating because my headaches were like a knife stabbing the back of my head. I was very nauseous, almost throwing up, feeling very, very bad. I couldn’t even go for a walk, couldn’t train, it was very frustrating,” Gadelha continued.

    According to Claudia Gadelha, she realized she was going to retire a couple of months back. Since her last fight, she has had to go to the hospital multiple times due to her concussion-like symptoms.

    Claudia Gadelha
    Claudia Gadelha, Image Credit: Getty Images

    “I had to rush to the hospital in the beginning of my concussion twice,” Gadelha said. “I ended up in the emergency room twice and I’m here in Las Vegas by myself and my family’s in Brazil, it was during COVID so I couldn’t fly to Brazil to go be with my family because it was like in the beginning of the concussion so I couldn’t fly and my parents couldn’t come here because of COVID. I had to spend a lot of time by myself during the concussion and that was very, very frustrating.

    “With that being said I started thinking about not fighting anymore. I had a lot of feelings of, ‘OK, I’m gonna go back, I’m gonna beat this time of my life and I’m gonna go back and fight,’ and then other times I would just feel like I shouldn’t be fighting anymore because I had so many other opportunities in life,” Gadelha continued. “I took a little bit more time and went back to the gym and tried to train and I started getting hit in the head and having anxiety from getting hit in the head and being afraid of going back to work where I was in the beginning of the concussion. I did a lot of brain treatments to get healthier and I was so afraid of going back to what it was and then a lot of other opportunities showed up in my life.”

    With Claudia Gadelha now retired, she will now be working with the UFC to help acclimate Brazilian fighters to life in the United States. She is helping both to translate and to educate them on “the business side of fighting” while continuing her own studies regarding health, nutrition, and performance.

    Gadelha retires with a professional record of 18-5 and fought for UFC gold once where she challenged former nemesis Joanna J?drzejczyk in 2016.

    What do you make of Claudia Gadelha retiring?

    Continue Reading Claudia Gadelha Says Concussion-Like Symptoms Led To Retirement From MMA at MMA News.

    Claudia Gadelha Retires From UFC After Up-And-Down Tenure

    Claudia GadelhaFormer UFC strawweight title challenger Claudia Gadelha has retired from the UFC and MMA after a long career with the promotion. Gadelha notified the UFC on Friday that she is done competing and will in fact retire, as first reported by MMAFighting. Gadelha’s retirement comes just weeks after a fellow UFC title challenger, featherweight Felicia […]

    Claudia Gadelha

    Former UFC strawweight title challenger Claudia Gadelha has retired from the UFC and MMA after a long career with the promotion.

    Gadelha notified the UFC on Friday that she is done competing and will in fact retire, as first reported by MMAFighting.

    Gadelha’s retirement comes just weeks after a fellow UFC title challenger, featherweight Felicia Spencer, also announced her intentions to retire after a long career.

    Gadelha most recently competed against Yan Xiaonan, losing by a unanimous decision in arguably a one-sided affair. She had won her previous two fights in 2019 and 2020 against Angela Hill and Randa Markos.

    Fans may know Gadelha the most from her heated rivalry with former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and the season that they coached against one another on The Ultimate Fighter. Before Jedrzejczyk had earned the title, Gadelha lost to her via split decision before getting a rematch in 2016, losing via unanimous decision.

    Claudia Gadelha Has Retired From The UFC

    Gadelha made her UFC debut back in 2014 after an undefeated run in promotions such as Invicta and Shooto Brazil. She was once regarded as one of the top female Brazilian MMA prospects in recent memory.

    Gadelha won her UFC debut against Tina Lahdemaki before losing a title eliminator to Jedrzejczyk. Despite never earning the belt, Gadelha was a mainstay in the UFC’s strawweight division and helped bring star power to the 115-pound group of fighters.

    After news of her retirement circulated on social media, Gadelha thanked her fans in a series of Instagram story posts and replies.

    Gadelha also earned wins over former champion Carla Esparza and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Esparza is widely expected to face Rose Namajunas next for the strawweight title.

    It’s unclear if Gadelha is planning on a smaller role in combat sports, possibly in boxing or Jiu-Jitsu. But for now, she appears done with MMA as a whole.

    What are your thoughts on Claudia Gadelha’s retirement?

    Claudia Gadelha Declares Retirement From MMA, Departs UFC Roster

    Former UFC title challenger Claudia Gadelha has reportedly indicated her intention to retire from MMA.

    Gadelha recently notified the UFC of her plan to stop competing in the sport, per a report from Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. The recent story …

    Claudia Gadelha

    Former UFC title challenger Claudia Gadelha has reportedly indicated her intention to retire from MMA.

    Gadelha recently notified the UFC of her plan to stop competing in the sport, per a report from Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. The recent story explained that Gadelha is no longer on the UFC roster after informing the promotion that she doesn’t plan to continue fighting.

    The 33-year-old fighter is leaving the UFC roster with a promotional record of seven wins and five losses. Her MMA record as a whole currently sits at 18 wins through 23 appearances.

    She most notably challenged for the UFC Strawweight Championship in 2016, fighting to a unanimous decision loss against Joanna J?drzejczyk. The fight was heavily promoted, as they coached on The Ultimate Fighter in the lead-up, and they headlined the live Season 23 finale.

    Looking Back At Gadelha’s Career

    Claudia Gadelha
    Image Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

    Gadelha has fought as a pro since 2008. After putting together an undefeated record of 11 consecutive wins, she signed with the UFC in 2014. She went on to become one of the more active strawweight fighters in the following years.

    She notably earned a first-round submission win against Karolina Kowalkiewicz in 2017. This made her only the second woman at that time to beat the former title challenger.

    Gadelha took a loss in her last fight in November 2020 to Yan Xiaonan. She had momentum in the division before then, however. Her two previous fights were victories over veteran fighters Randa Markos and Angela Hill.

    Gadelha has yet to comment on her departure from the UFC roster, although she has acknowledged the news on social media and updated her Instagram bio to say “Former UFC Fighter.”

    How will you remember the career of Claudia Gadelha?

    Continue Reading Claudia Gadelha Declares Retirement From MMA, Departs UFC Roster at MMA News.