Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk wants to reclaim her title before moving back up in weight.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk has detailed plans for her UFC future, win back the strawweight title she once held for so long, then move back up to 125-pounds.
The 31-year-old last fought at UFC 231 in December of last year, losing out on flyweight gold to Valentina Shevchenko. That fight was Jedrzejczyk’s first at 125-pounds in the UFC, and recently speaking on the Eurobash podcast, she revealed what she wants to do before returning to 125 lbs.
“Now I want to compete in the strawweight division, win this belt and I will do that, mark my words here and now,” Jedrzejczyk said. “After that, I will move to the flyweight division.
“Before the fight with Valentina I knew that I was going to drop to the strawweight division again. I didn’t want to put on [extra] weight but in the fight, I felt different. I felt that Valentina was very strong in the clinch or on the ground and it took so much time for me to get out and get the fight back on my feet.” (Transcription via MMA Fighting)
Jedrzejczyk also gave her take on the upcoming strawweight title fight between current champion Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade at UFC 237. The Pole has fought both women in the past, losing twice to Namajunas and defeating Andrade by decision. Jedrzejczyk expects the fight to be very close on the night.
“I beat Jessica so easily, only with my jab, and the thing is, she’s such a dangerous fighter. There is nobody else who has beaten her [at strawweight],” said Jedrzejczyk.
“For me, it’s 50-50 between her and Rose Namajunas. If Rose Namajunas is going to be smart and use her footwork and distance, she can win this fight. But of course, Jessica Andrade is like a bull in a fight. I cannot wait to face Rose or Andrade, but I would like to face Andrade one more time to show to people that there is only person that can beat her…and it’s me.”