Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk isn’t going anywhere.
UFC 275 might have been the last time we saw Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the Octagon, but it isn’t the last time we’ll see the former strawweight champion in the UFC.
Jedrzejczyk, who retired following her devastating spinning backfist knockout loss to Zhang Weili, will stick around behind the scenes after retirement and revealed at the UFC 275 post-fight press conference that she wants to become an MMA manager.
“I’ve been saying that I’m the UFC soldier,” Jedrzejczyk said following her KO loss to Zhang (h/t MMA Fighting). “I just got a message from [UFC Chief Business Officer] Hunter [Campbell], I love you guys. I want to go on vacation. I’m planning on going to International Fight Week and London and Paris and be around.
“In the future, I want to be the best manager I can be, learning from the best my manager Jennifer Goldstein, CAA combat sports, Dan Lambert, the owner of [American Top Team]. I want to be around. I just want to be around.”
.@joannamma was emotional while reflecting on her time in the UFC
“I will still be a UFC soldier forever.”
Full #UFC275 post-fight scrum ?? https://t.co/rzF8Q5VtdQ pic.twitter.com/Ma3BFtOhuM
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 12, 2022
Before she embarks on a new career and starts managing fighters, however, Jedrzejczyk plans to enjoy the fruits of her labor by taking a well-earned break from MMA and fully embracing her retirement.
“I always want to be remembered as one of the greatest and I will,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I’m just the girl from the hood. J.J. from the hood. I did big things. I have to sit and think about what I have achieved.
“I bought a nice apartment maybe two years ago. Do you know how many times I was there? None. Like maybe I slept there two nights. Now I have time to fully enjoy it. I’ll go there, spend some time, sit on it and enjoy it.”
Jedrzejczyk retires with a professional MMA record of sixteen wins and five defeats (10-5 UFC) with five strawweight title defenses. She is considered one of the greatest female UFC champions of all time and one of the best Polish fighters in UFC history.