Joanna Jedrzejczyk is not done with the sport of mixed martial arts just yet.
Jedrzejczyk hasn’t competed since her split-decision defeat to Weili Zhang in their 25-minute back-and-forth war for the women’s strawweight title at UFC 248 back in March.
And while she has been training in Poland since travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have kept her from returning to the United States to train at American Top Team. However, she envisions a return soon as she looks to compete again in 2021.
“Because of the COVID situation, somehow, I can’t go back to the states,” Jedrzejczyk said in a recent chat. “I don’t see myself preparing in Poland or somewhere outside of American Top Team without Mikey Brown, Katel Kubis, American Top Team in general. I love these people. They are my team. I think I will be back next year.
“I was planning to get back to the states in the middle of this year, October, the end of this year but probably it’s going to be January. I’m training. I’m training every single day. I train everyday. I do lots of cardio, lots of jiu-jitsu, lots of boxing. So I keep on rolling every single day and hustling everyday.”
Jedrzejczyk Living Her Best Life
Jedrzejczyk notably donned a huge hematoma on her forehead during her fight with Zhang and spoke afterwards of how she didn’t want to take damage like that again.
Along with an Instagram post in July where she used a “retired” hashtag, many believed we had seen the last of the former women’s strawweight queen.
That’s not the case, however.
“I’m living my best life,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I’m living my dream. As you know, I was always busy and I’m very happy. I’m still fighting. I’m not retired.
“So many people on my social media they’re commentating that I’m retired, they’re asking but I’m not. I’m just taking my time.”
However, one thing that could prevent her from fighting is the lack of fans.
“I don’t see myself fighting without fans, without an audience,” Jedrzejczyk added. “You know how I interact with people. I don’t see myself fighting without fans. There is no sport without fans, any sport.
“I want my people to watch me live and support me. I just need it. I need this energy from people. This atmosphere always makes me feel so good.”
Hopefully by early 2021, there will be some progress on that front.
