She may have the hardest name in MMA to pronounce, but it’s worth learning to say it since the newest UFC champion may be sticking around for a while.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (9-0) wrested the women’s strawweight belt away from Carla Esparza (10-3) at UFC 185 in March with a brutalizing striking incursion. Esparza’s wrestling-based attack was no match for the combined takedown defense and muay thai arsenal of Jedrzejczyk.
She continued to punish Esparza with punches and elbow strikes until the referee finally waved it off with 44 seconds left in Round 2.
Jedrzejczyk is set to defend her newly acquired belt at UFC Fight Night 69, which goes down this weekend in Germany. She’ll face No. 3-ranked Jessica Penne (12-2).
Penne is a well-rounded fighter who can attack from both the standing and grappling position. She’ll likely look for an opportunity to take the fight to the ground, as Jedrzejczyk is a six-time world champion in the striking discipline of muay thai. Penne has found good success with her ground game, as seven of her 12 wins have come by way of submission.
Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne headlines UFC Fight Night 69, which will be streamed on the UFC’s online platform Fight Pass.
It was an interesting choice by the fight promotion to feature its newest champion on its digital network. One might think the UFC would rather continue to build up such an exciting fighter on pay-per-view or the Fox network. But the company needed a worthy main event for the Berlin show when Alexander Gustafsson vs. Glover Teixeira fell through.
If Jedrzejczyk wins, she’ll likely be keeping a close eye on Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar. The UFC recently signed Aguilar, who is considered by many the best strawweight in mixed martial arts. Gadelha dropped a split decision to Jedrzejczyk in December 2014.
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