The recent stripping of inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano is a controversial topic amongst fighters and fans, but one person that doesn’t have too much sympathy for her is former strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Like Montano, Jedrzejczyk had a nightmare weight cut leading up to her title defense at UFC 217 that left her feeling ‘lucky to be alive.’ But unlike Montano, no one stopped Joanna’s cut and cancelled the fight. She’d go on to lose her belt to Rose Namajunas.
”Man, I paid the ultimate price, but I was on weight in November 2017,” she told media at UFC Fight Night Moscow. “I would do this the same because for me it’s a shame, us as fighters, athletes and champions to not be on weight.”
”We need real and dedicated fighters and champions in the UFC. The UFC is the best organization in the world. There’s no space and time for bullsh**t like this. It was a very hard decision, very tough decision. I believe she is not happy but you must take this job very serious and you must be 100 percent in. Weight cuts are not easy, are not nice. But it’s part of our job and you shouldn’t complain and you must be on weight when you have to be.”
As for speculation that Jedrzejczyk could fight Valentina Shevchenko for Montano’s former belt?
”This fight is not on,” she said. “So of course I’ve got an offer, but we’ll see. I’m very open to fight Valentina Shevchenko. I always want to fight the best fighters, and definitely she is one of the top female fighters in the world.”