Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk returned to form last night (Sat., July 28, 2018) at UFC on FOX 30 from inside Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, when she defeated formidable contender Tecia Torres via unanimous decision.
Despite dropping her last two Octagon appearances to current divisional champion Rose Namajunas, Jedrzejczyk was able to channel her former dominant self and outclass Torres at almost every turn. Her takedown defense was perfect, her range control kept the smaller Torres at bay, and her Muay Thai once again led the damage count.
As a former champion on the rebound, this was a big step for Jedrzejczyk. Even though she lost to Namajunas in back-to-back contest Jedrzejczyk isn’t ready to address “Thug” as the better fighter, especially after a superb outing against Torres.
“I will not do this,” Jedrzejczyk said at UFC on FOX 30’s post-fight press conference (video replay here). “Never ever. She wants my honor? She must earn that. If she’s going to run, they’re going to make an interim belt. She was saying she’s afraid Conor McGregor will show up again and make a mess like he did before Brooklyn. He is not going to do this. Don’t be afraid, Rose. Come on. Just fight. Just face the best. You should face [Jessica] Andrade.
“If not, I will chase you. If you hold the belt, I will chase you. Until the next fight. That’s it.”
Jedrzejczyk, 30, has only lost to Namajunas in her entire professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Her track record and recent performance against “Tiny Tornado” at UFC Calgary would suggest she could lock down another title fight with “Thug,” but history shows that UFC is reluctant to book a trilogy fight if one fighter already holds all the wins.
That doesn’t seem to both the former UFC champion as she believes her legacy at 115 pounds is enough to warrant another shot at Namajunas.
“Rose saying that she will give me the third fight after I will say that she is the best? No way,” Jedrzejczyk said. “Maybe you beat me, and you’re the champion, and you won, but your legacy is not that big. You should bow down because I am the queen. I give her respect.”
For now, Jedrzejczyk will have to put her nose to the grindstone and do whatever the promotion requires her to do to fight again for the women’s strawweight title. Until that day comes, the Polish queen is unwilling to recognize Namajunas as being the better mixed martial artist.
“No way I’ll say Rose is the best,” Jedrzejczyk said. “Maybe you beat me, you’re the champion and you won. But your legacy isn’t that big. You should bow down, because I am the queen.”
For complete UFC Calgary results and coverage click here.