It seems that the 115ers will be making their way into the Octagon before the end of TUF 20. Number 3 in the division Claudia Gadelha (11-0), who I think should be ranked 1st, will be stepping into the cage opposite Finland's Tina Lahdemaki (5-0). The question many casual fans may have, is why is Claudia not competing on TUF if she is so good? The answer, is that Nova Uniao her gym was against it. The reason probably has something to do with the fact that Claudia cuts a lot of weight to make the 115lb limit. She has fought at heavier weights several times throughout her career and it would be very difficult for her to make weight on TUF due to the nature of the show.
Putting Claudia and Tina on a non-PPV before the 115 TUF is a smart move by the UFC. First off, it serves as a commercial and reminder of the upcoming show. Putting these women on national t.v will get casual fans excited and remind them to tune in in September. Second, it could potentially serve to build a challenger for the new Champion. Also, the fight will take place while the show is filming, so we might get to see the women watch the show or at the event during TUF.
A glance at their records to me shows that Claudia is the favorite going into the fight. Claudia is coming off of an impressive victory over Ayaka Hamasaki, trains at one of the best gyms in the world, and will probably have a significant size advantage going into the fight. However, I am not foolish enough to count Tina completely out as she is also undefeated. I just think that based off of what we have already seen, Claudia is more proven.
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