Joanna Jedrzejczyk can’t be stopped.
Following three consecutive strawweight title defenses, the 29-year-old defeated Polish compatriot Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision Saturday night at UFC 205 in New York City to secure four straight successful clashes with her belt hanging in the balance.
Per Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, all three judges scored the fight 49-46 for Jedrzejczyk.
Per Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie, the win was a historic one for her:
Kowalkiewicz did appear to rock the champion in the fourth round with a hard shot but was unable to keep up the attack to finish off the fight.
Per MMA Fighting, Kowalkiewicz said after the judges’ decision she wasn’t disappointed with her performance:
Undefeated in UFC, Jedrzejczyk first got her hands around the strawweight strap when she defeated Carla Esparza via second-round TKO at UFC 185.
Since then, she’s been on an absolute roll.
Jedrzejczyk dispatched Jessica Penne by third-round knockout in June 2015, and she followed that title defense up with consecutive victories via unanimous decision over Valerie Letourneau and Claudia Gadelha.
Of course, winning has become expected considering Jedrzejczyk has a polished arsenal that’s become tough for strawweight opponents to solve.
“The economy of motion in her strikes is exceptional, and there’s no wasted energy at all,” Bleacher Report’s Patrick Wyman wrote. “Her pivots and footwork are exceptional; she never moves an inch more or less than she should, and it’s difficult to pin her against the fence.”
However, Jedrzejczyk may not be gracing the Octagon with her tactical brilliance for much longer if pre-fight comments are any indication.
According Bohn, Jedrzejczyk has entertained thoughts of retirement in the next few years since she has aspirations of settling down and starting a family:
When (I retire) I’m going to be the perfect wife or perfect mother. I want to be the same, (giving) 100 percent. I know I’m not retiring in two months or beginning of the next year because then I will want to come back and have a fight with someone who is important. My goal is to make my dreams come true, my goals come true, and be undefeated. Fight for the next few fights and then see what’s going to happen. That’s my goal.
A split with the sport may not be imminent, but Jedrzejczyk has evidently mapped out how her career could end if she continues to squash opponents with regularity.
So until Jedrzejczyk calls it quits, it’s best to savor each remaining fight as she seeks to add some more accolades to her impressive resume.
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