In the short existence of the UFC women’s strawweight division, champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has made a name for herself in her last three fights. She has gone from an unrecognizable name to a fighter who MMA fans worldwide can easily identify. Despite …
In the short existence of the UFC women’s strawweight division, champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has made a name for herself in her last three fights. She has gone from an unrecognizable name to a fighter who MMA fans worldwide can easily identify. Despite her first title defense being shown on UFC Fight Pass, Jedrzejczyk is someone you shouldn’t miss watching.
Inside the Octagon
If you are someone who constantly boos every time two MMA fighters grapple each other or take the fight to the ground (in which case I don’t know why you watch MMA in the first place), then Jedrzejczyk is the fighter for you. She is a world-class striker and a 10-year veteran in Muay Thai with six titles. Jedrzejczyk constantly pushes the pace when the fight takes place standing up.
She isn’t just an aggressive fighter; she is very effective when she is moving forward.
Bloody Elbow’s Connor Ruebusch notes Jedrzejczyk‘s broken rhythm. This means she mixes up her attacks to keep her opponents guessing. Jedrzejczyk can utilize a string of feints to open up her opponents and set up her power shots. Ruebusch also notes how “small and controlled” her feints are. This economizes her movement, so she can bring in a real strike with quickness and power. If just a small feint can draw her opponent to react, it demonstrates Jedrzejczyk‘s mental edge in the octagon.
She also has superb takedown defense. Jedrzejczyk faced two excellent grapplers in her last two bouts, in Claudia Gadelha and Carla Esparza. In her battle with Esparza, Jedrzejczyk was able to fend off all but one of her takedown attempts. And when Esparza or Gadelha did take her down, she used her strength to get back on her feet and escape.
Outside the Octagon
Jedrzejczyk isn’t a boring character to say the least. She has the personality to sell fights.
She’s likable in the Manny Pacquiao/Gennady Golovkin sort of way, as in not too arrogant and has a bit of charm to her, similar to Golovkin.
However, she has more bravado than both boxers and is capable of getting under a fighter’s skin. She will get in the face of fighters during staredowns at media day. She also does that weird wrestling stance pose during the weigh-in staredown.
Jedrzejczyk believes her tactics worked on Esparza, as she felt she was able to mentally break her down, she told Ariel Helwani during The MMA Hour. She also told Helwani that she has no bad feelings towards Esparza.(h/t MMAFighting.com’s Marc Raimondi)
For the buildup with her fight against Jessica Penne this weekend in Berlin, Jedrzejczyk showed off her wit in her trash talk.
Jedrzejczyk also exudes a lot of confidence. She told Bleacher Report’s Hunter Homistek that she plans on being “the Ronda Rousey of the strawweight division.”
When a fighter sets the bar that high, it commands people to pay attention. Will she live up to the own hype she put upon herself? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, Jedrzejczyk brings an exciting style into the octagon and entertaining self-promotion tactics that will only earn her more fans as she progresses in her career.
Joe Schilling is going all in on mixed martial arts.
The two-sport star told MMAFighting.com on Friday that he plans on soon moving his family to South Florida from Los Angeles to continue his training at American Top Team in Coconut Creek. …
Joe Schilling is going all in on mixed martial arts.
The two-sport star told MMAFighting.com on Friday that he plans on soon moving his family to South Florida from Los Angeles to continue his training at American Top Team in Coconut Creek. Schilling has been at ATT for weeks and will complete his camp there in advance of a fight against Hisaki Kato at Bellator 139 on June 26 in Mulvane, Kan.
“I think I’ve improved a lot,” Schilling said about his time at ATT. “Obviously I won’t know until I’m with somebody that’s a lower level than the Olympians that are beating my ass every day. I think my overall awareness and understanding of the game of MMA has improved a lot. I think it’s going to be a big difference. All my instincts have been kickboxing for the last 10 or 12 years.”
Schilling (2-4) is one of the biggest stars for GLORY kickboxing and one of the most accomplished American kickboxers around. He still plans on competing for GLORY, but MMA is beginning to take a priority in his life. The 31-year-old wishes he started earlier growing up in Ohio.
“I wish I would have wrestled at a younger age,” he said. “I wish I would have taken it more seriously years ago.”
Schilling said the cost of living in Florida compared to LA also plays a factor in his decision. He has two children and the school system is also good in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area.
“It’s a lot more affordable to live here and fly there then live there and fly here,” Schilling said from Florida. … “In the next year or so, I’ll probably relocate out here and go back and forth to Los Angeles. “
After falling to Rafael Carvalho by split decision at Bellator 136 in April, Schilling set out to polish his MMA skills further. Carvalho managed to grind the fight out, but Schilling still believes he won. Previously, Schilling had done some ground training with Cesar Gracie and at Millenia MMA in California. But now it has become his full-time thing.
“I’m more aware of the strategies and the game of MMA,” Schilling said. “I’m competing at a high level. I was pretty far behind in my understanding of MMA and the transitions and my reactions. That’s why I’m here and I’m working with all these guys. I’m learning every day. Whether I’m getting my ass kicked or I’m having a good session, I’m learning a lot and I think that’s gonna pay off in the fight. My reactions are going to be different to what goes on.”
Kato (4-1) is known as a striker, but so was Carvalho. Because of his kickboxing prowess, Schilling knows that very few MMA fighters will stand with him. So he’s working on staying off the canvas, so he can accentuate his strengths.
“My kickboxing pedigree has gotten me to this point, but it’s definitely nice to know I have other options,” Schilling said. “The main focus has been me stopping [Kato] from doing what Carvalho did the last fight. If I’m gonna lose a fight, it’s going to be somebody beating my ass, not somebody just stalling out. I think it’s kind of sad and pathetic that you can win a fight by nullifying a fight. His goal to win the fight was making sure a fight didn’t happen. I can’t control what they do, but I should be able to stop them from doing that and getting the fight to be a fight.”
Schilling has not closed the door completely on GLORY. Actually, he plans on returning to the ring later this year and he’s hoping it’s a middleweight title fight against his rival Artem Levin.
“I still love kickboxing,” Schilling said. “I think I can still compete at a really high level in GLORY. I’m still very eager to get that rematch with Artem Levin, maybe later on this year, and get my belt back. It’s exciting times for me. I get to compete in two sports and I’m pretty well-paid in both. I’m always going to kickbox. As long as there are opportunities for me to kickbox, I’m going to do that.”
It just won’t be his main priority moving forward.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how it plays out in this fight,” Schilling said. “It’s hard to really judge. They tell me I’m getting better, but I just see myself getting my ass beat every day. But I guess that’s how you get better, right?”
Following an impressive knockout win over Estevan Payan in September, Derek Campos is looking to stay on the path towards the Bellator lightweight title when he takes on former champion Michael Chandler this Friday at Bellator 138.
Against Ch…
Following an impressive knockout win over Estevan Payan in September, Derek Campos is looking to stay on the path towards the Bellator lightweight title when he takes on former champion Michael Chandler this Friday at Bellator 138.
Against Chandler he faces a fighter known for his work ethic and perseverance. Campos knows Chandler is ready for a war, and is willing to engage in a firefight. He doesn’t however think that Chandler’s usual style of wading through hard shots to get inside is a good idea.
“I don’t hit lightly, I hit hard.” Campos told Bleacher Report. “If he thinks he’s going to go in there and take my best punches, that isn’t a smart game plan.”
Campos got into MMA after he got worn out from team sports as a kid. He wrestled and played football in high school, but when he got a glimpse of mixed martial arts, he knew he had to give it a try. Once he began training, he was hooked.
As a young fighter he looked up to Rich Franklin. Franklin was a well-rounded fighter with heavy hands, a style Campos admires and tries to emulate. Campos says his favorite aspect of fighting is that moment when his feet hit the mat inside the cage and it is finally time to make his hard work pay off, saying:
“There’s no better feeling that I get than whenever I get into that cage, run around it, and get back to my corner, waiting for the fight.As soon as that gate closes, and the ref looks at both of us and asks us if we’re ready, that for me is the most exciting part of fighting.
“That’s when you realize that all of your hard work is about to pay off and be shown to the world, when the cage door shuts and it’s go time.”
Campos feels that moment is his payoff because of the journey it takes to get to that point. All fighters deal with injuries, and all fighters are ‘hurt’ in some way when they go out to fight, but making it to the fight and staying healthy is difficult, which Campos thinks is the hardest part of the fight game.
The fight with Chandler is featured on the main card of Bellator‘s latest “tentpole” event, and is sure to be one of the most-watched MMA shows of the year. A stacked event headlined by two well-known fighters in Shamrock and Kimbo Slice will certainly attract a lot of eyeballs. Campos isn’t focused on the fact that he’ll be fighting on Bellator‘s biggest stage, or fighting in front of a pro-Chandler crowd.
He is 100 percent focused on putting it together in the cage and employing the gameplan he’s worked hard to come up with in training, saying:
“My main focus is implementing my fight, and my strategy against Chandler.This isn’t going to be the first time I have to go into the lion’s den and fight someone in front of their hometown crowd.So, my thoughts won’t be on the crowd, they’ll be on Chandler, and getting in the zone to do what I have to do to win.”
The “zone” Campos is referring to is the mindset that he feels allows him to overcome any adversity he might come across during the fight. He feels that putting pressure on a pressure fighter like Chandler is the key to throwing him off his game. He also feels that Chandler is the perfect opponent, because the fight will play into his strengths. He plans on making it a strategic, but still entertaining scrap, saying:
“I know I’m going to turn it on aggressively and have that killer instinct, and I also know when to turn on my tactics and strategy to really play a chess match and win.That’s my best quality, is to be able to bring a smart, and rowdy kind of fight.”
Although he takes great joy in mixed martial arts, and stepping foot into the cage, he doesn’t let his emotions control his actions during the fight. He feels he’s able to keep his emotions in check because he tries to leave it all on the mat during training, saying:
“I try not to let emotions get to me, but it’s hard not to.As fighters, we all fight for different reasons.For me, I try to get all of that out in training before I get there to make sure I’m 100% focused.”
After his last fight against Payan, he knew he had impressed the higher-ups at Bellator. He wasn’t 100 percent sure that he’d get the fight with Chandler, but he’s wanted to test himself against a fighter of that caliber for a long time, and jumped at he opportunity.
“I had been wanting to fight Chandler for a long time, ever since I first saw him fight.He’s the kind of fighter that as I fighter, I want to fight.I like to fight that kind of guy. I was stoked and excited, and [when the fight was offered] I said ‘Let’s do this’.
“As an athlete, I think he’s great.As fighter, he’s great as well, but I think he has a few holes in his game.We all do. But seeing him evolve from wrestler to fighter, I have a lot of respect for that.Going into this fight, I expect the best Michael Chandler.He always brings his best, so I am going to respect that to the fullest, and make sure to bring my best.”
He understands the task that lies ahead of him, and knows it won’t be easy. He also thinks that Chandler’s recent fights have taken a toll on the fighter, and Chandler may have taken too much punishment in recent bouts, saying:
“I’m expecting a grueling fight, but I’m also expecting him to be the one taking more damage.I’m very confident in my stand up, and I feel like may stand up is way better than his. As far as shots Michael has taken, I think he’s taken too many. It showed in his last fight with Will Brooks, he didn’t know where he was and he was incoherent with everything.“In your career as a fighter, depending on how you train and if you spar too much, if you take too many shots in a fight, it takes its toll. I think it’s begin to show with Michael’s last fight.”
Despite how he feels about the amount of damage Chandler has taken, he still thinks Chandler could be his toughest test to-date. He’s gearing up for a fight he feels will be unlike any fight he’s been in thus far in his career. Chandler presents a refined, high-level mixed martial arts skill set, but also possesses a strong mindset and will to win. Campos feels that he can make it his type of fight, and hand Chandler a crushing fourth loss in a row.
“I’ve fought tough wrestlers before, and I’ve fought stand up guys before. What I think makes Chandler different I think is that he has the will to win. On June 19th I’m going to find a way to break that will.”
LOS ANGELES — Jessica Penne wasted absolutely no time. Even when she thought there was just a possibility Michelle Waterson might sign with the UFC, Penne was asking for a rematch with her.
Penne said she saw Waterson at Invicta FC 11 in Fe…
LOS ANGELES — Jessica Penne wasted absolutely no time. Even when she thought there was just a possibility Michelle Waterson might sign with the UFC, Penne was asking for a rematch with her.
Penne said she saw Waterson at Invicta FC 11 in February and immediately made a beeline for UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
“I saw her try to flirt and bat her eyes at [UFC president] Dana [White] and [CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta],” Penne said Wednesday at a media lunch. “I asked Shelby, because he was there. I said, ‘Shelby, is she gonna come over?’ He said, ‘We don’t have anything yet.’ I said, ‘As soon as that happens, I want her.'”
Penne did not get her wish. She’ll get a lovely parting gift instead: a title shot against women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the main event of UFC Fight Night 69 on June 20 in Berlin. Penne, though, said that she would actually rather have a fight with Waterson than a showdown with the champ. That’s how hard she took a loss to Waterson two years ago.
In December 2013, Waterson submitted Penne with an armbar in the fourth round of their Invicta atomweight title fight. Waterson took the belt from Penne, who held it for more than a year. Penne (12-2) was winning the fight up until that point and it still stands as her only loss since 2010.
“I’ve been asking for that rematch,” Penne said. “That girl got lucky and she knows it.
“I shouldn’t have lost to her,” Penne said. “It was like a one-in-a-million fluke.”
Penne, 32, still wants the rematch, but concedes that it might take a while, especially since she believes she’ll beat Jedrzejczyk for the title in Germany. Penne, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Randa Markos in December, isn’t sure how well Waterson will do coming up from atomweight to the UFC’s strawweight division. Waterson takes on Angela Magana in her UFC debut at the Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale on July 12 in Las Vegas.
“She has a long way to go before she gets a title shot,” Penne said. “If and when the opportunity presents itself, I will gladly take [the rematch].”
Losing is not a thing that Penne can tolerate. She also would like a rematch against her friend Carla Esparza, who she fell to in the semifinals of the Ultimate Fighter 20 tournament last year. The only other defeat on Penne’s record was five years ago against Zoila Frausto in Bellator.
The loss to Waterson really gets to her, though. More than the others. Penne said there’s nothing personal at all. She just wants to avenge that ‘L’ on her record.
“I don’t care about her as a person,” Penne said. “That one just bothers me. Losing to someone you’re so much better than just bothers me.
“It’s not that I don’t like Waterson. I just want a chance to beat her up.”
LOS ANGELES — Jessica Penne wasted absolutely no time. Even when she thought there was just a possibility Michelle Waterson might sign with the UFC, Penne was asking for a rematch with her.
Penne said she saw Waterson at Invicta FC 11 in Fe…
LOS ANGELES — Jessica Penne wasted absolutely no time. Even when she thought there was just a possibility Michelle Waterson might sign with the UFC, Penne was asking for a rematch with her.
Penne said she saw Waterson at Invicta FC 11 in February and immediately made a beeline for UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
“I saw her try to flirt and bat her eyes at [UFC president] Dana [White] and [CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta],” Penne said Wednesday at a media lunch. “I asked Shelby, because he was there. I said, ‘Shelby, is she gonna come over?’ He said, ‘We don’t have anything yet.’ I said, ‘As soon as that happens, I want her.'”
Penne did not get her wish. She’ll get a lovely parting gift instead: a title shot against women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the main event of UFC Fight Night 69 on June 20 in Berlin. Penne, though, said that she would actually rather have a fight with Waterson than a showdown with the champ. That’s how hard she took a loss to Waterson two years ago.
In December 2013, Waterson submitted Penne with an armbar in the fourth round of their Invicta atomweight title fight. Waterson took the belt from Penne, who held it for more than a year. Penne (12-2) was winning the fight up until that point and it still stands as her only loss since 2010.
“I’ve been asking for that rematch,” Penne said. “That girl got lucky and she knows it.
“I shouldn’t have lost to her,” Penne said. “It was like a one-in-a-million fluke.”
Penne, 32, still wants the rematch, but concedes that it might take a while, especially since she believes she’ll beat Jedrzejczyk for the title in Germany. Penne, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Randa Markos in December, isn’t sure how well Waterson will do coming up from atomweight to the UFC’s strawweight division. Waterson takes on Angela Magana in her UFC debut at the Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale on July 12 in Las Vegas.
“She has a long way to go before she gets a title shot,” Penne said. “If and when the opportunity presents itself, I will gladly take [the rematch].”
Losing is not a thing that Penne can tolerate. She also would like a rematch against her friend Carla Esparza, who she fell to in the semifinals of the Ultimate Fighter 20 tournament last year. The only other defeat on Penne’s record was five years ago against Zoila Frausto in Bellator.
The loss to Waterson really gets to her, though. More than the others. Penne said there’s nothing personal at all. She just wants to avenge that ‘L’ on her record.
“I don’t care about her as a person,” Penne said. “That one just bothers me. Losing to someone you’re so much better than just bothers me.
“It’s not that I don’t like Waterson. I just want a chance to beat her up.”
After 15 difficult years, one of Japan’s most revered prizefighters senses the clock is ticking on his glorious career.
Every time Tatsuya Kawajiri steps into the Octagon, he knows the journey could be his last. The veteran heads to UFC Ber…
After 15 difficult years, one of Japan’s most revered prizefighters senses the clock is ticking on his glorious career.
Every time Tatsuya Kawajiri steps into the Octagon, he knows the journey could be his last. The veteran heads to UFC Berlin this weekend aware that defeat against Dennis Siver could spell the end for his featherweight title dreams.
“I think about retirement every fight,” Kawajiri said. “I am 37 years old and I have been injured, I have been sidelined. As I get older it takes longer for my body to recover from the fatigue of training. But I … Read the Full Article Here
In the short existence of the UFC women’s strawweight division, champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has made a name for herself in her last three fights. She has gone from an unrecognizable name to a fighter who MMA fans worldwide can easily identify. Despite her first title defense being shown on UFC Fight Pass, Jedrzejczyk is someone you shouldn’t miss watching. 
