Joanna Jedrzejczyk wasn’t too happy with Jessica Penne throwing her gifted necklace into the screaming crowd at Friday’s weigh-ins. So she gave Penne a gift she couldn’t toss to the wayside and ignore—a third professional loss.
UFC Fight Night 69 served as the coming out party for the strawweight division’s first star.
Earlier this year, Jedrzejczyk staked her claim as the baddest 115-pound woman on the planet by using former UFC champ Carla Esparza as a punching bag and letting her limp body fall into the waiting arms of referee Don Turnage.
Berlin, Germany, played host to the inaugural title defense of Europe’s first female UFC champion. It was a car race, and all Penne saw was Jedrzejczyk’s smoke. The Octagon was left looking like a CSI crime scene as Jedrzejczyk punched, kicked and elbowed Penne’s face into cherry pudding. The official TKO stop time came at 4:22 in Round 3.
Here is what we learned from the UFC Fight Night 69 main event.
What We’ll Remember About the Fight
No one will be forgetting Christmas at the weigh-ins anytime soon. Call her Santa Jedrzejczyk because the champ was making it rain with gifts on Friday. She even brought a backup necklace as a gift offering after Penne flung the first one into the crowd.
As for the actual fight, we’ll remember Penne’s blood painting the white canvas like a bad graffiti job. Jedrzejczyk looked like the female version of Anderson Silva in showing off the wide gap in technical striking.
The rest of the strawweight division has quite a way to catch up to the multiple Muay Thai world champion. Against one of the more well-rounded opponents she’s fought thus far, Jedrzejczyk once again proved she was on another level.
We’ll also remember the trillion times Jedrzejczyk’s name was mispronounced during the live broadcast. Seriously though, just call her Joanna “Champion.”
What We Learned About Jedrzejczyk
Jedrzejczyk has the potential to really bring new eyes to the strawweight division. There is more to a combat sport than punching someone in the face. Jedrzejczyk is a champion that allows her personality to shine as well as her fighting.
She isn’t merely sitting on a podium giving rehearsed answers to questions with a stoic look on her face. There’s a certain aura about her that can’t be ignored. Listen to what UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and top featherweight contender Conor McGregor had to say about her recently.
What We Learned About Penne
Penne falls on the same wavelength as Esparza and Tecia Torres, which isn’t exactly a bad place to be. All three fighters have been considered the cream of the crop in the strawweight division for quite some time, but like in every weight class, eventually someone comes along and raises the bar to a whole new level.
Jedrzejczyk has done that for the strawweight division, and the rest of the ladies, including Penne, are playing catch-up. Penne is one of the premier submission artists in the division, but her wrestling and striking have yet to evolve to a point where she can dictate the fight in other areas.
She basically looked like a fish out of water against Jedrzejczyk.
What’s Next for Jedrzejczyk
Jedrzejczyk sits alone on an island surrounded by empty waters. She’s simply in a class of her own. Perhaps her closest neighbors are Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Aguilar. Gadelha battled Jedrzejczyk to a split decision in December last year, and Aguilar has long been considered one of the top 115-pound fighters in the world.
The progression of Rose Namajunas is also something to keep your eye on.
Gadelha and Aguilar are slated to fight at UFC 190 on August 1 in a bout that could determine the next contender for the UFC title.
What’s Next for Penne
During a media lunch, per MMAFighting.com, Penne claimed she would rather have a rematch with former Invicta champ Michelle Waterson than fight Jedrzejczyk for the UFC title. This fight could finally come together depending on the outcome of Waterson’s upcoming UFC debut against Angela Magana.
Waterson submitted Penne two years ago for the Atomweight title.
If that bout falls through, however, Penne will likely hop back into the mixing bowl of contenders to fight one of her old housemates from The Ultimate Fighter 20.
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