Joanna Jedrzejczyk has been one of the central figures of women’s MMA since earning the UFC strawweight title against Carla Esparza at UFC 185. Despite staying active against the best athletes in her division, the Polish fighter has not enjoyed the same success in the last few years.
In her last outing, the Jedrzejczyk suffered a highly contested decision loss against Zhang Weili in one of the greatest fights in the history of the sport at UFC 248.
Earlier this month, Jedrzejczyk used the hashtag #33andretired, which caused suspicion about a potential retirement for the former champion. Nonetheless, the former champion dismissed those rumours in conversation with Peter Carroll and Niall McGrath on The Bash MMA podcast (as transcribed by BJPenn.com)
“No, I’m not retired, man,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I’m not.”
However, Jedrzejczyk admitted that — given how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her training and travel schedule — she does feel like a retired fighter. With her head coach Mike Brown and several of her training partners contracting the virus, it seems that the 32 year old will not be stepping into the American Top Team facility anytime soon.
“I feel like I’m retired,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I can’t go back to the state because of the COVID situation. Mikey Brown, my main coach, got sick. My teammates sick. So it’s very risky to go back to the states, and I don’t see myself preparing for my next fight in a different place than American Top Team in Coconut Creek.”
Fans around the world can rest assured that ‘JJ’ is not quite done yet with the sport of MMA. Whether it’s a title bout or not, the Pole never fails to deliver exciting fights.
After a fantastic performance in her last bout despite the loss, the future looks bright for Jedrzejczyk; she will surely remain as a threat to the title for the foreseeable future.
Who would you like Joanna Jedrzejczyk to face in her next fight inside the Octagon?
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