JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Claudia Gadelha directed some parting words at a past opponent at the end of her UFC on ESPN 8 post-fight interview Saturday.
After Gadelha (18-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) defeated Angela Hill (12-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) by split decision in the card’s co-main event, UFC commentator Paul Felder asked if she had an opponent in mind for her next fight.
“Hey, Carla Esparza,” Gadelha said into the microphone. “Let’s do it again.”
The callout got a reaction out of Esparza (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC), the first strawweight champion in UFC history, who responded with a tweet reading, “Let’s run it back. Leave the grease at home this time.”
At the UFC on ESPN 8 post-fight press conference, Gadelha responded to Esparza’s tweet. Gadelha said Esparza is looking for excuses why she lost their first meeting.
“Man, it’s 2020,” Gadelha told MMA Junkie. “This sport is evolving so much. Come on. I have the commission at least following me from the time I step in the octagon till the time the fight is finished. How the (expletive) am I going to grease? Carla Esparza, stop with the (expletive) excuses. Let’s get back in there again.”
Esparza, 32, competed a week ago at UFC 249. Taking on Michelle Waterson, Esparza earned a split decision. Gadelha indicated she had watched the fight and largely refrained from commenting on what she saw.
“Right now, I wouldn’t say much because everyone is going through crazy times,” Gadelha said. “It’s tough to train. It’s tough to do anything. I don’t know how her camp was. Not a lot of things happened in that fight, so I can’t say much.”
The inaugural meeting between Gadelha and Esparza took place at UFC 225 in June 2018. The two strawweights fought for 15 minutes with Gadelha getting the split decision.
The week after their bout in Chicago, Esparza publicly called Gadelha a “dirty fighter throughout (her career)” and “a cheater.”
“And just for the record, I would never publicly accuse someone of anything unless I was 100 percent sure,” Esparza added.
UFC on ESPN 8 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
Check out Claudia Gadelha’s full UFC on ESPN 8 post-fight press conference in the video above.
UFC on ESPN 8's Claudia Gadelha responds to Carla Esparza: 'Stop with the (expletive) excuses'