The UFC Women’s Strawweight division has its second champion in just five months. Joanna Jedrzejczyk took the distinction from Carla Esparza via second-round TKO at the co-main event of UFC 185 in Dallas.
UFC on Fox tweeted out the official result:
The bout immediately lived up to its striker vs. grappler billing. Esparza showcased her relentless wrestling pressure, continuously trying to drag Jedrzejczyk to the mat, while the Polish contender found Esparza’s chin with some crisp striking as the round continued.
The second round spelled even more doom for Esparza as the disparity between striking skills became even more apparent. Jedrzejczyk continued to utilize her reach and pick apart the champion with strikes until a heavy combination allowed her to officially take the belt.
Hailing from Olsztyn, Poland, Jedrzejczyk is now the first Polish UFC champion in the organization’s history. “They thought it was going to be some huge guy,” the new champion said about the feat via Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report. “They did not know it was going to be a girl.”
But it’s a girl indeed. The 27-year-old adds an international flair to the UFC champions club which is currently only inhabited by Americans and Brazilians throughout the rest of the organization.
Now that Jedrzejczyk has earned the belt, the tough work really begins. With the division just crowning its first champion back in December 2014 with an Ultimate Fighter finale, the hierarchy is still in its infancy.
With the strap now in tow, she’ll be the one who has to prove she’s truly the top 115-pounder in the world by besting a field of contenders that includes a few veterans as well as some interesting up-and-comers.
A quick perusal of the UFC rankings at strawweight reveal a bevy of challengers who have yet to get a crack at the champion. There are plenty of interesting matchups remaining for the champion.
Jessica Penne, Tecia Torres and Joanne Calderwood are all top-six ranked opponents coming off wins. Meanwhile, Paige VanZant recently became one of few fighters to get a sponsorship from Reebok via MMA Fighting.
This is good news for fans of the strawweights, but not such great news for Esparza. Usually the line for a rematch tends to be rather short for former champions, but that might not be the case for the 27-year-old.
With the division still in its infancy, the question of who will become the face of the division is still up for grabs. At UFC 185, the fiery Pole with the difficult-to-pronounce name took a step toward becoming the star of the division.
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