TAMPA, Fla. – Joanna Jedrzejczyk was one of the few people to predict Weili Zhang would beat Jessica Andrade.
And that’s exactly what happened when Zhang ran through Andrade in the first round of their fight in August to become the new UFC strawweight champion.
“Yes, I’m very impressed with the new strawweight champ, and I said that she was going to win in the first round with Jessica Andrade,” Jedrzejczyk told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 19 open workouts. “She’s a very good fighter and in the UFC, maybe the strawweight division is the lightest division in the UFC, but definitely this division gets lots of attention and brings lots of fireworks with every fight.”
Jedrzejczyk (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC), the former longtime 115-pound champ, believes Andrade’s quick three-month turnaround after she defeated Rose Namajunas is what cost her.
“I think it’s not easy to become UFC champion, but definitely it’s more difficult to deal with all the obligations you have after becoming the champ,” Jedrzejczyk said. “And maybe Jessica Andrade, instead of taking her time, enjoying this and resting well and preparing well, she took that and that’s the point. And Weili Zhang just took her chance, and she made it to the league.”
Jedrzejczyk, who defended her title five times, wants people to appreciate just how difficult it is to handle everything that comes with becoming a champion.
She says there’s a reason no strawweight has been able to remain champ for long outside of her own title reign that lasted more than two years.
“Because I don’t run this division anymore,” Jedrzejczyk said. “And I was the champ for a reason and if people doubt me, I always say, OK, how many title defenses has ‘x’ strawweight champion, first, second and the third, you know? There’s Ronda Rousey from bantamweight division, six successful title defenses, and me in the strawweight (with) five, and Amanda Nunes is the GOAT right now, but if people doubt me, I say, ‘Hey, look at the numbers and how long I was holding the belt.’”
With a win over Michelle Waterson this Saturday, Jedrzejczyk expects to be next in line for a title shot. At least that’s what she said she signed a deal for when she took the fight with the “Karate Hottie”.
UFC on ESPN+ 19 takes place at Amalie Arena. The card streams on ESPN+.
To hear more from Jedrzejczyk, watch the video above. You can also see her open workout in the video below.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk 'very impressed' with UFC strawweight champ Weili Zhang
