UFC 212 results: Claudia Gadelha submits Karolina Kowalkiewicz for 2nd straight win

RIO DE JANEIRO – In a battle between two recent title contenders, Claudia Gadelha nabbed an early takedown, and it proved to be the beginning of the end for Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

Moments after the fight hit the mat, Kowalkiewicz (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) found Gadelha (15-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) on her back squeezing for the rear-naked choke that would ultimately force the submission finish just a little over three minutes into the fight.

The strawweight bout co-headlined today’s UFC 212 event at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

It was a strong performance for Gadelha, who struggled somewhat to find her rhythm in the opening minutes. With Kowalkiewicz switching stances and keeping her at a distance, Gadelha took her time and picked her moment before eventually dragging Kowalkiewicz down from the clinch.

From there, things quickly went from bad to worse for Kowalkiewicz, as Gadelha moved to her back and then dug her forearm under her chin. Kowalkiewicz tried to defend, but Gadelha’s squeeze was too strong, and it forced her to tap at the 3:03 mark of Round 1.

The win is the second in a row for Gadelha, whose only two losses in her career are to current UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Kowalkiewicz, who was undefeated prior to her bout with Jedrzejczyk in November, has now lost two straight.

Up-to-the-minute results include:

• Claudia Gadelha def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:03
• Vitor Belfort def. Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Paulo Borrachinha def. Oluwale Bamgbose via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:06
• Yancy Medeiros def. Erick Silva via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:01
• Raphael Assuncao def. Marlon Moraes via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
• Antonio Carlos Junior def. Eric Spicely via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:49
• Matthew Lopez def. Johnny Eduardo via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:57
• Brian Kelleher def. Iuri Alcantara via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:48
• Viviane Pereira def. Jamie Moyle via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Luan Chagas def. Jim Wallhead vis submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:48
• Deiveson Alcantara def. Marco Beltran via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 5:00

For more on UFC 212, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Fernanda Prates contributed to this report on site in Rio de Janeiro.)