When you think mixed martial arts, you think Brazil. It's a country that has produced the likes of Royce Gracie, Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Lyoto Machida and a multitude of champions and top contenders in between.
On Friday night at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, two of the UFC's best pound-for-pound female fighters will battle in a pivotal strawweight bout with long-term title ramifications. Claudia Gadelha (15-2) and Jessica Andrade (16-6) both have elite striking and takedown skills and figure to carry on that esteemed Brazilian legacy.
Well, unless you ask Andrade.
"It's not a good thing to fight Brazilians because it splits the crowd, but I don't consider Claudia a Brazilian," Andrade, a native of Umuarama, said. "She was born there but does not live there anymore. I feel like I'm fighting an American."
Gadelha is from Mossoro in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte and trained most of her life in Rio de Janeiro at the famed Nova Uniao Academy. She moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, full time last year to be coached by Chris Luttrell and Ray Yee and also spends time at the Jackson Wink Academy. When asked about Andrade's comments, Gadelha could only laugh.
"I know I'm Brazilian. I was born in Brazil, I lived most of my life in Brazil," she says. "I just train here for now because it's better for me. I get more of what I need in America than I do in Brazil. I love my country; I love my people -- I wish I could live there. But Brazil is not ready for what I need now.
"Albuquerque is good for me because I can concentrate on training. I don't have anything to distract me from training. This is really important right now at this part of my life."
While loyalties may be debated, their résumé and skill sets cannot.
Andrade is coming off a unanimous decision loss to longtime champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 211, but she was widely praised for her toughness and ability to compete for a full five rounds. She previously won three straight after moving from bantamweight to strawweight last spring.
Gadelha most recently defeated Karolina Kowalkiewicz by rear-naked choke in the first round at UFC 212 and has only two losses in her professional career -- both to Jedrzejczyk.
Whoever wins on Friday night should be in prime position to challenge again for the belt.
"This is a really important fight because it puts me on the title path again," Andrade says. "If I win, I will become the strawweight division's No. 1 contender and should face either Joanna or Rose [Namajunas]."
The task this weekend in Japan won't be easy. Gadelha holds a height and reach advantage and is an exceptional grappler. As seen in her fight against Kowalkiewicz, she has the ability to literally pick her opponent up and throw her to the mat, where she thrives. Andrade knows this and has done extra work in camp to keep this fight on the feet.
"I've trained a lot on takedown defense and wrestling," she says. "I'm going to try to keep distance and stay focused. If Claudia tries to take me down I'll be ready because I trained a lot. It will be almost impossible to take me down during the fight."
Gadelha's toughest task will be withstanding the barrage of strikes Andrade throws. Rather than punch once and back away, she enjoys throwing a flurry of four or five in a row and forcing her opponents to the fence. Volume is crucial in her ability to win this fight.
For Gadelha, though, quality is always better than quantity.
"I think she's very aggressive, very strong but not very technical," Gadelha says. "I'm technical, more well-rounded and becoming a better fighter every day. That's the biggest difference."