Karolina (left) praised Gadelha (Photo: Instagram claudiagadelhaufc)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz arrived in Rio de Janeiro for UFC 212 hoping for a victory over Claudia Gadelha, number one in the strawweight rankings, would put her back on track for the belt. Instead, the Polish woman was completely dominated by the home fighter and ended up submitted for the first time in her career, in the opening round.
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After the fight, Karolina admitted to having cried, apologized to her fans, but made a point of praising her opponent's attitude inside and outside the octagon. Claudinha had already posted a photo with the Polish woman and praised her.
“Sadness, regret, anger, frustration – I have no words to describe what I'm feeling right now... I love doing what I do, I love MMA and nothing will change that. I will continue training and fighting and I promise that I will arrive for my next fight with a smile on my face as always. Cláudia was simply better and that was definitely not my day. I would like to congratulate you and thank you for the fight. You are an incredible fighter and person, it was an honor to face you in the octagon. Today I also mourn my fans and I would like to apologize to you for disappointing them. I would also like to apologize to my coaches, STT partners, friends and family”, declared Kowalkiewicz through a post on his official Instagram.
The Polish arrived at the UFC undefeated in her career, and got a chance at the title after winning three consecutive victories, over Randa markos, Heather Jo Clark and Rose namajunas. She challenged the category champion, her compatriot Joanna Jedrzejczyk at the historic UFC 205, and ended up losing by decision. Soon after, she faced Claudinha and suffered her second consecutive defeat.
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