In combat sports, it takes the two individuals in the fight to create special moments. Mixed martial arts has seen its fair share of those moments to build some of the stars that we see today. Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas are two strawweights with the potential to develop star power. In a few years, this may be the matchup that fans are pining to see.
Jedrzejczyk burst onto the scene with her one-sided smashing of Carla Esparza at UFC 185. This win allowed her to snatch away the 115-pound title and vault to the top of the division. As that group continues to flush itself out, she will be in need of a long list of challengers to establish her prominence.
Namajunas can insert her name into that position, even at this early point in the 22-year-old’s career.
Bleacher Report Lead MMA Writer Jeremy Botter chronicled her rise to becoming a new star in the sport, writing “from a fighting perspective, Namajunas has traveled a profound distance in a very short period of time.”
If that growth continues for both of these women, Namajunas and Jedrzejczyk could be headed for a showdown.
The strawweight division has a lot of work to do to sort itself out. Claudia Gadelha seems to be one of the next women in line, but she is set to face Aisling Daly at a UFC Fight Night on April 11. Jedrzejczyk has already defeated the Brazilian competitor, but the Nova Uniao product fought the current champion in a tough battle. Beyond Gadelha, the 115-pound group does not feature a fighter who stands out in front of the others as an immediate challenger to the title.
The rest of the division features women who were competed on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter. That season was made up of mostly developing fighters who were still working to build their professional resumes. Namajunas established herself as one of the best within that group, even though she was unable to defeat Esparza in the final bout.
The UFC currently ranks Namajunas as the No. 4 fighter in the division. Remaining successful will help her to stay within the title picture at this vital juncture.
Both Jedrzejczyk and Namajunas have room to develop their brands both inside and out of the cage. As MMA continues to grow as a mainstream sport, fighters who are successful in competition and within marketing are leading the way to new opportunities. If both women continue to win, fans may soon begin to call for Jedrzejczyk to defend her title against the woman known as “Thug.”
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