TORONTO – UFC women’s strawweight Nina Ansaroff doesn’t take kindly to Claudia Gadelha’s insinuation that she’s not on her level.

“She’s going to find out there’s levels to this, too,” Ansaroff replied after being told of Gadelha’s comments prior to their meeting Saturday at UFC 231. “I’ve been striking since I was five years old. I don’t think she’s ever seen the kind of striking I have. Watching it is one thing and being in front of it is another.”

The thing is, Gadelha (16-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has been in front of it. The two trained together five years ago at MMA Masters, and Gadelha came away with the impression that Ansaroff (8-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was only a striker and not a complete MMA fighter.

Ansaroff obviously doesn’t agree, given the work she’s put into the sport and her hard work with her fiancee, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. And if Gadelha is using footage to form an opinion, Ansaroff said she’s going to be surprised.

“She can show me her levels,” Ansaroff said. “I train with the champion – soon to be double champion – so I’m sure there’s levels to that, as well.”

Ansaroff, who’s won her past four UFC bouts, said she’s turned a corner in her career since she started taking it less seriously. Paradoxically, that’s made her more effective in the cage.

She plans on showing Gadelha what she’s learned when they meet on the FS1-televised event at Scotiabank Arena.

For more on UFC 231, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.