Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna J?drzejczyk isn’t leaving the UFC anytime soon.
J?drzejczyk revealed during a recent interview with MMA Fighting that she has inked a new multi-fight deal with the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. She noted that, when the day comes for her to step away from MMA, she wants to retire as a UFC fighter.
The Polish striker acknowledges that she likely could’ve gone elsewhere for more money, but in the end, she decided to stay with the UFC.
“It’s a multiple-fight deal,” J?drzejczyk said. “I always said that I want to retire in the UFC, and of course people would love to see me doing this or that after, but I feel like if I retired from MMA, I would retire from the UFC, the best MMA league in the world.
“I don’t want to go somewhere and fight for this bigger money. Money is not everything. I’ve saved enough money for myself, for my kids, for my grandkids probably, but it’s not only about the money.
“You need to have this pride in you and you have to know what to do and how to prioritize some things. This is what I’m trying to do.”
J?drzejczyk will kick off her new contract with a rematch against fellow former 115-pound champion Zhang Weili. The pair put on what was arguably the greatest female MMA contest in history back at UFC 248 in May of 2020. Ultimately, Zhang picked up the victory via split decision, but the fight was razor close.
Unfortunately for J?drzejczyk, she has dropped four of her last six bouts after beginning her career 14-0, paired with a dominant run as strawweight queen. However, that ended when she was unseated by Rose Namajunas, who also defeated her in their rematch.
Following that loss, Joanna J?drzejczyk also lost to Valentina Shevchenko and Zhang. Of course, there’s no shame in losing to any of those names, as the top of the women’s 115-pound division is as deep as they come. However, J?drzejczyk is looking to get back to her winning ways against Zhang on June 11 in Singapore.
What do you think of J?drzejczyk re-signing with the UFC? And who are you taking in the Zhang vs. Jedrzejczyk rematch? Sound off in the comments!
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