Tag: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas

Justin Gaethje Blasts Joanna Jedrzejczyk For ‘Weak-Minded’ Excuses

After losing the title to Rose Namajunas at last November’s UFC 217, former dominant UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk began a veritable media tour explaining why a botched, drastic weight cut was to blame for her first-round knockout loss to ‘Thug.’ She detailed her experience of having to cut 15 pounds in only 14 […]

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After losing the title to Rose Namajunas at last November’s UFC 217, former dominant UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk began a veritable media tour explaining why a botched, drastic weight cut was to blame for her first-round knockout loss to ‘Thug.’

She detailed her experience of having to cut 15 pounds in only 14 hours before the fight, leading to her experiencing numbness in her legs and ultimately firing her nutritionists, Perfecting Athletes.

But that wasn’t all.

Yesterday, Jedrzejczyk doubled down on the blame game by claiming that her doctor had failed her before the fight, creating a web of finger pointing that really could not be quantified, and also one that was a moot point by now. Jedrzejczyk will meet Namajunas again in an immediate rematch at April 7’s UFC 223 from Brooklyn and will have her chance to quiet her doubters by winning back her coveted belt.

Until then, however, her detractors are going to keep doubting her blaming. One such person is UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje, who, as a friend of Namajunas, may be a bit biased but also knows the ins and outs of the fight game himself. “The Highlight” recently discussed Jedrzejczyk’s recent blaming with MMA Fighting, noting that cutting weight is simply part of a fighter’s job, making the blame fall solely on her at the end of the day.

To him, it was weak-minded to publicly bring it up:

“I don’t know her or what happened to her, so I can’t judge her for it. I think she’s weak-minded for saying it, even if it is true. It’s her own business. And no matter what, it could be true to the core and you could have proof, who’s going to [care]? Like, I’m not going to support you. Okay, whose fault was it? At the end of the day, whose fault was it? It was your fault. Do you have a scale at your house? Then you get to step on the scale every single morning, just like every single one of us do. We worry about our weight the whole camp, and I’ve never had a nutritionist help me in my entire life.

“I made weight in college eating McDonalds every day. It’s willpower. You either f*cking do it or you don’t do it. Like, the nutritionist does not cut the weight for you. And yeah, it could be detrimental to your performance, so if she did cut a tremendous amount of weight, then I’m sure that she suffered tremendously, and I am excited to see Rose fight the best Joanna whenever she doesn’t f*ck up and f*ck her weight cut up.”

Gaethje clarified his stance on the matter, adding that Jedrzejczyk knew Namajunas had cut and made weight, ultimately making whatever reason for her miss an excuse:

“Because she knows that Rose cut weight. She knows that Rose made weight. And at the end of the day, it is an excuse. Even if it’s fact, it’s still an excuse, because it was still her fault. So, I mean, as a wrestler — I’m not calling Joanna weak-minded, I’m saying that statement is weak-minded.”

Fans will see whether or not Jedrzejczyk’s insistence on passing the blame is real or not when she rematches Namajunas in just over a month. While Gaethje acknowledges her skill as one of the best in her class, he also believes Namajunas will prove her first win was no fluke because she has the former ‘Joanna Champion’ figured out:

“It’s a fight. [Jedrzejczyk] is one of the highest-level fighters in that weight class in the world,” Gaethje said. “Anybody in the top-five can beat each other on any given night in this sport. So I think she has a possibility (to win), but I don’t think — she can’t just go and change her whole (style). She can’t change the way her feet move. And Rose beat her because of the way her feet move, because she could time the way her feet move, and Rose is going to do the same thing with her feet.

“She’ll get her reaching, and then she’ll get her overreaching, then she’ll come in while she’s overreaching and capitalize. There’s no other way for it to go.”

 

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Joanna Jedrzejczyk Details Drastic Weight Cut Before UFC 217

Most in the mixed martial arts world were shocked when former women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk lost her title to Rose Namajunas via first-round knockout at November’s UFC 217. After defending the title five times, Jedrzejczyk lobbied for an immediate rematch with ‘Thug’ Rose despite the quick and vicious nature of her loss. Ultimately, she got […]

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Most in the mixed martial arts world were shocked when former women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk lost her title to Rose Namajunas via first-round knockout at November’s UFC 217.

After defending the title five times, Jedrzejczyk lobbied for an immediate rematch with ‘Thug’ Rose despite the quick and vicious nature of her loss. Ultimately, she got it as well, signing on for the rematch at April’s UFC 223 from Brooklyn, New York.

When she does, however, she’ll prepare for the bout without the aid of her former nutritionists Perfecting Athletes, whom she fired following a disagreement about how her weight management was handled prior to the Namajunas fight. Details were scarce about just what prompted Jedrzejczyk to incite such drastic change, but today (Mon., Jan. 22, 2018), the former champ revealed why to Ariel Helwani on today’s The MMA Hour in a graphic description.

Jedrzejczyk said she cut an alarming 15 pounds in only 14 hours and was surprised to even make weight:

“Man, I felt so bad, I had to cut 15 pounds in 14 hours; I did it in 14 hours.

“I think Perfecting Athletes couldn’t believe that I did that. I start my weight cut at 5 pm on Thursday and I was on weight five minutes before 11 am on Friday, so it was a miracle. I was praying to God for this miracle. And it happened. I took this mentally. I was crying, I was so weak but I believed it. I said to one of the Perfecting Athletes team, ‘Hey, it’s a shame for a champion to not make her weight’, and then I made it — a thing I couldn’t believe.”

Photo by Noah K. Murray for USA TODAY Sports

The title challenger continued on about the drastic cut, detailing how things got worse when her legs began to numb, which returned the day of the fight:

“After the weigh-ins, I had only fluids and I went to bed because I took just two 15-minute naps during the weight cut.

“The thing is, my legs got numb after I woke up. I said to my doctor, ‘Hey, my legs are numb’, and she said, ‘nothing to worry about, we’re going to hydrate you more’ and ‘you’re going to be fine’.

“But the next day, I felt the same and thought the most crazy things. I took the fight mentally. I wanted to go into the fight and push away all of the worries.”

With her rematch now in sight, Jedrzejczyk said that she had trusted her advisors at Perfecting Athletes, but they made a mistake – a mistake which she paid the ‘ultimate price’ for after being light all training camp before running into serious trouble  towards the tail end:

“They were like family, you know. I trusted them so much and I paid the ultimate cost for someone’s mistake,” she said. “They agreed with me. We sat and talked on Monday after the fight and they agreed with me that they made a mistake, but I paid the ultimate price.”

“I was light in this camp,” Jedrzejczyk continued when asked what mistake had been made by Perfecting Athletes.

“I was like 127 on the Friday and Saturday a week before the fight. We were planning to get me to 125 by Tuesday, but my weight went up on Sunday to 130 and I couldn’t drop the weight for three or four days. I did everything that I could, and it’s their mistake. I started my weight cut with the limit at 130, so it was almost impossible to make that weight.”

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Rose Namajunas Says Joanna Jedrzejczyk Doesn’t Deserve A Rematch

Add newly-crowned UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas to the list of new champions from last week’s UFC 217 who don’t think the former champ deserves a rematch. Following a one-sided, trash talk-filled buildup from formerly dominant champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk heading into the fight, Namajunas demolished the Polish striking master only 3:03 into the first […]

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Add newly-crowned UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas to the list of new champions from last week’s UFC 217 who don’t think the former champ deserves a rematch.

Following a one-sided, trash talk-filled buildup from formerly dominant champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk heading into the fight, Namajunas demolished the Polish striking master only 3:03 into the first round, dropping her with a massive left hook and follow-up ground shots until referee John McCarthy called the bout a KO victory for ‘Thug’ Rose. But it also appeared that Jedrzejczyk tapped due to the onslaught, something she later denied strongly.

As she was attempting to tie Ronda Rousey’s record for most consecutive female title defenses at UFC 217, Jedrzejczyk wants an immediate rematch with Namajunas. The new titleholder doesn’t agree, however, stating on this week’s The MMA Hour that the win was so clear, so without controversy, that she couldn’t see how Jedrzejczyk deserved it right now:

“I don’t think so,” Namajunas said. “I don’t know how that could … anything is possible, right? A first-round knockout and she tapped due to strikes. Even though she was still stumbling afterwards, there was still some part of her that tapped. Not a fluke.”

As for whom her next opponent will be, Namajunas said she hasn’t really thought about it, but noted there was a division full of contenders. Instead, she was understandably still focused on unwinding from the biggest match of her life while enjoying her friends and family:

“I thought about the idea of the rest of the division and I wonder who’s gonna call me out and things like that,” Namajunas said. “But I haven’t really thought about who I want to fight yet, no. All I’ve been thinking about the next step — other than decompress, things like that and have a little fun and see the rest of my friends and family — is just making sure our team is tight and solid.”

So while it’s true Jedrzejczyk may have been and still be the most dominant competitor in women’s strawweight history, none of her fights ended in as brutal or shocking a fashion as Namajunas’ lopsided destruction of her did.

Perhaps “Joanna Champion” needs to work her way back up the ladder, where a title shot may await her after one or two more quality wins.

As for Namajunas, she’s going to let the elation of being champion sink in.

After all, she’s earned it.

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Joanna Jedrzejczyk Promises To Return ‘Stronger & Sooner Than You Think’

After losing her women’s strawweight title by brutal knockout at UFC 217, former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk vows she will come back stronger than ever. Jedrzejczyk succumbed to a brutal barrage first-round punches to Rose Namajunas on Saturday night after being the most dominant female champion since Ronda Rousey. Many considered her to be one of if […]

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After losing her women’s strawweight title by brutal knockout at UFC 217, former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk vows she will come back stronger than ever.

Jedrzejczyk succumbed to a brutal barrage first-round punches to Rose Namajunas on Saturday night after being the most dominant female champion since Ronda Rousey. Many considered her to be one of if not the best champion on the UFC roster prior to her loss to Namajunas.

The former champ took to Instagram to express her desire to return to the cage as quickly as possible:

Jedrzejczyk had taken the belt from Carla Esparza at UFC 185 and had a firm grasp over the division ever since. But in one of those crazy MMA moments, three UFC belts changed hands at UFC 217, and the Polish national was one of those champions who lost on Saturday.

The knockout loss was her first professional defeat in mixed martial arts, as the former champion was dropped twice before the referee stopped the fight three minutes into the first round in a massive upset victory for Namajunas.

Do you expect Jedrzejczyk to regain her belt? Or will this loss have larger psychological implications for the former champ?

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Dana White Reveals How Well UFC 217 Did On Pay-Per-View

After witnessing three UFC titles change hands in shocking fashion at this weekend’s (Sat., Nov. 4, 2017) UFC 217 from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, it’s safe to say that the blockbuster event delivered the most exciting, fast-paced night of fights in all of 2017. But that was far from a certainty […]

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After witnessing three UFC titles change hands in shocking fashion at this weekend’s (Sat., Nov. 4, 2017) UFC 217 from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, it’s safe to say that the blockbuster event delivered the most exciting, fast-paced night of fights in all of 2017.

But that was far from a certainty heading into the high-profile event, as casual fans seemed to be equal parts doubtful and cautiously optimistic about the card, putting the event’s mainstream success in question. Indeed, more seemed to be written about UFC 217’s lack of buzz, with much of that focused on the supposed notion that returning former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre had lost his connection with fans after nearly four years away from the sport.

That was far from the case, however, if we’re to believe UFC President Dana White – which is something that is unfortunately difficult to do these days – who revealed at the UFC 217 post-fight press conference (via MMA Mania) that UFC 217 had easily surpassed one million buys on pay-per-view, and even broken the previous record for Canadian sales that was just set by august’s Mayweather vs. McGregor:

“I told some of you guys this yesterday. Mayweather vs McGregor had the record in Canada, and we were number two and three. I’m pretty sure this beat Mayweather in McGregor tonight.”

If that proves true, it wouldn’t be the hugest surprise considering St-Pierre was far and away Canada’s biggest combat sports star and remained so even during his four-year break. Much of the emphasis was placed on his clean-cut, respectful demeanor, which many described as the opposite of the trash-talking style of Conor McGregor that currently rules MMA, and many thought this would affect the success of UFC 217, perhaps ever creating a lack thereof.

If you listen to White, though, he always knew it would do a million buys, yet was surprised when it soared past that mark:

“I told you that this would do a million buys, I was way wrong it did over a million, I’ll have a definite answer tomorrow, but it’s looking like we destroyed it.”

Those numbers, if confirmed, come as an extremely needed breath of fresh air for the UFC and owners at Endeavor, as pay-per-view numbers have consistently plummeted during a 2017 without McGregor or any other bankable star outside of provisionally suspended Jon Jones.

Maybe, just maybe, Georges St-Pierre wasn’t the box office flop everyone made him out to be.

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Biggest Takeaways From Blockbuster UFC 217

Three new champions in one night, a card chock-full of finishes; UFC 217 had it all. From longtime former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s triumphant return to several other unbelievable upsets, Saturday night gave us a ton to work with. Saturday night marked the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden following the wildly successful UFC 205 […]

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Three new champions in one night, a card chock-full of finishes; UFC 217 had it all. From longtime former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s triumphant return to several other unbelievable upsets, Saturday night gave us a ton to work with.

Saturday night marked the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden following the wildly successful UFC 205 last year, and their sophomore effort proved to be just as successful.

With so much to break down and analyze, check out our five biggest takeaways from UFC 217!

Noah K. Murray for USA TODAY Sports

5. Three New Champions In One Night

UFC 217 is one of those events that completely changed the MMA landscape in a single night.

Joanna J?drzejczyk knocked out in the first round, Cody Garbrandt knocked out in the second round, and Bisping dethroned by third-round submission. That’s a lot to process.

With Rose Namajunas, TJ Dillashaw, and GSP now champions, multiple weight classes that had perhaps gotten a bit stagnant are now wide-open for new contenders and champions to take over.

Saturday night was just one of those rare events that turned the MMA world totally upside down, which in the long run will actually prove to be a good thing for the middleweight, bantamweight, and women’s strawweight divisions.

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