Joanna Jedrzejczyk who was reigning UFC women’s strawweight champion until she was knocked out in the first round by Rose Namajunas at UFC 217 and subsequently lost the women’s strawweight title.
That was the first loss of Joanna’s professional career, and she has vowed to get the title back. Moreover, failed to tie Ronda Rousey’s most consecutive title defenses in UFC women’s history.
Even Thug Rose stated Jedrzejczyk shouldn’t get the rematch so soon, but former 115-pound queen Joanna has some other plans.
“I know what I want in life. Just like I’ve done for the last two years, the last 14 years of my career, it will be the same next year,” Jedrzejczyk told InTheCagePL in her native language (translation via FloCombat). “I back up my words — I don’t just talk. I already spoke to the UFC, and my return is set. My next fight will be for the title belt. I don’t know if Rose is going to want to fight in a month, in January or in February. I’ll spend the next two months in Poland with my family.”
“I have a lot of media obligations, [and] I’ll be flying out to China in a few days, and that’s that,” she added. “This is my time away, my rest. Like I said, if Rose wants to fight in February or March with the first contender available, it doesn’t matter to me if she’ll be wearing the belt or if there will be a new champion. I’m going after what’s mine, and that’s the belt.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk said getting a title back is more important and shut down the idea of a tune-up fight.
“I don’t need to have a fight to get ready. It’s not like I wasn’t prepared for that fight. I don’t have any reproach for myself because of it,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I know it looks different from the outside and a loss is a loss. If you weren’t standing there in the Octagon, if you didn’t feel that day and if you didn’t feel that loss, why it ended the way it did… People just don’t know.”
“Rose was very shocked, like the rest of the world. Like I’ve said, she won in a beautiful fashion, but the belt is mine. I’ve built this weight class. I’m the queen of this weight class, and I always will be. You can believe it or not.”
Joanna had held the belt since a March 2015 victory over Carla Esparza via TKO in the second round at UFC 185.
Joanna had held the belt since a March 2015 victory over Carla Esparza via TKO in the second round at UFC 185.
Share your views if Joanna deserves a rematch with Rose?
