Joanna Jedrzejczyk will attempt to take the women’s strawweight belt away from Carla Esparza this Saturday in Dallas at UFC 185. But how many out there truly know who Jedrzejczyk is?
Jedrzejczyk made her UFC debut on a lower-level fight card as the opening bout on UFC Fight Pass. The next time she fought, she saw a slightly bigger audience on FOX Sports 1 opposite Claudia Gadelha, but the title eliminator was not placed on big FOX.
Now she is in the co-main event, and the mass audience does not really know who she is or how qualified of a contender has become. Well, let’s take a quick look at Jedrzejczyk‘s past and how she became the No. 1-ranked contender at 115 pounds.
Muay Thai
Jedrzejczyk is known for her wicked striking inside the MMA cage, so it should come as no surprise that she began her fighting career as a muay thai specialist.
She turned pro in 2007, five years prior to making the transition to being a pro mixed martial artist.
The Polish striker is credited with five different professional muay thai championships in her UFC bio: WKN World Champion, J Girls Champion, WBKF Champion, WKF European Champion and WMC Champion.
She has some of the fastest hands in the division and possibly the best technical striking at 115 pounds. She is an exceptional talent standing with good power, which comes from a combination of speed and technique, not from having natural, god-given freakish power such as John Lineker and other fighters who are revered for such gifts.
Her striking background made her an instant prospect and threat when she moved over to MMA.
Pre-UFC MMA
Jedrzejczyk made her MMA debut in May 2012 in Poland. It was a decision victory over Sylwia Juskiewicz. She reeled off four more victories before advancing to her first big test against veteran Rosi Sexton.
The bout took place in Cage Warriors and came after Sexton was released from the UFC’s 135-pound division.
Jedrzejczyk dominated Sexton with her accuracy.
She kept pelting Sexton with the right hand, and she dropped her twice in the opening round. Just after the halfway point in the second frame, Jedrzejczyk dropped Sexton for the final time to earn the KO victory. It was the win that got her the call to the UFC with a perfect 6-0 record.
UFC Strawweight Contender
Jedrzejczyk was in the second official strawweight contest in UFC history. She drew Juliana Lima for her UFC and strawweight debut.
Her entire MMA career had taken place at 125 pounds prior to coming to the UFC. There were questions as to how the weight cut would effect her.
It didn’t. She tore through Lima with spectacular boxing.
As The Ultimate Fighter season 20 drew on, the UFC needed a title contender waiting for the winner. After Gadelha and Jedrzejczyk won their respective bouts, it only made sense to pit them against one another in a title eliminator.
Gadelha was the No. 1-ranked contender entering the fight, and it was almost a foregone conclusion that we would see Gadelha vs. Esparza at some point. Jedrzejczyk changed that perception by upending Gadelha in a fun, competitive bout.
Most impressively, Jedrzejczyk was able to drop Gadelha with an uppercut to once again showcase her superior striking. The decision came in and was split, but the fans were firmly behind Jedrzejczyk as the winner of that fight.
While she only has two wins at 115 pounds, the manner in which she has won should prove to everyone that she is the No. 1 contender for the belt.
Knocking off Gadelha was a statement. The weight cuts have never been an issue. Jedrzejczyk is a true strawweight and a true threat to dethrone Esparza at UFC 185.
Saturday’s co-main event may be the Fight of the Night. It may even be the dawning of a new era for the strawweight division. Time will tell, but we will see a lot of Jedrzejczyk moving forward as one of the top stars in this division.
Remember her name, even if you can’t pronounce it.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com