The co-main event of UFC 223 features a rematch between current strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
This Saturday night, Rose Namajunas (7-3 MMA; 5-2 UFC) and Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-1 MMA; 8-1 UFC) will do battle once again in the co-main event of UFC 223. The two first fought at UFC 217 in November 2017, when Namajunas provided a shock upset by finishing Jedrzejczyk in the first round, snatching her strawweight belt in the process. UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York this Saturday, April 7th. The main card will begin at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT on PPV. Four preliminary fights will be shown on Fox Sports 1 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT.
How do these two stack up?
Namajunas: 25 years old | 5’5” | 65” reach
Jedrzejczyk: 27 years old | 5’6” | 65” reach
What have these two done recently?
Namajunas: W – Joanna Jedrzejczyk (KO) | W – Michelle Waterson (SUB) | L – Karolina Kowalkiewicz (DEC)
Jedrzejczyk: L – Rose Namajunas (KO) | W – Jessica Andrade (DEC) | W – Karolina Kowalkiewicz (DEC)
How did these two get here?
“Thug” Rose Namajunas had an up and down UFC run prior to facing Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217. After picking up wins against the likes of Tecia Torres and Paige VanZant, she suffered a setback to Kowalkiewicz which seemed to put title contention out of the picture. A sublime performance against Michelle Waterson at UFC on Fox 24 meant Namajunas was awarded a title shot, and even though many write her off, she shocked the world by stopping Jedrzejczyk in the first.
After winning the strawweight title back at UFC 185 in March 2015, Jedrzejczyk went one a ferocious tear at 115-pounds. No opponent really troubled Joanna in her five title defences, she would outstrike and outwork her challengers by displaying an arsenal of striking tools, notching up clear-cut wins over the likes of Jessica Andrade and Claudia Gadelha. That was until she faced Namajunas. Finally it looked like someone could match Jedrzejczyk on the feet, and it took “Thug” Rose just over three minutes to finish Joanna, handing her the first professional loss of her career so far.
Why should you care?
This truly is a matchup between the two best at 115-pounds. Namajunas will be searching for much the same as last time, whilst Jedrzejczyk hopes to prove the loss was merely a fluke by reclaiming her strawweight belt.