Last November, in one of the whopping three title fights included on the UFC 205 bill, strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk thwarted a game challenger in Karolina Kowalkiewicz with a dominant unanimous decision victory. With this win, the talented striking specialist reaffirmed her status as one of the UFC’s most dominant champions.
Now, the dominant strawweight queen is gearing up for yet another defense of her title. According to a Tuesday night Instagram post, she has left her native Olsztyn, Poland, and has landed in Coconut Creek, Florida, where she will begin another training camp at American Top Team.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPqzZ2AFqxX/
At the moment, of course, it is unknown who will provide Jedrzejczyk’s next challenge. Having beaten a significant portion of the division’s top 15, the most likely candidates at a glance are Jessica Andrade, Rose Namajunas, Michelle Waterson, and perhaps the rising Alexa Grasso. Given the fact that Andrade is currently booked to fight Angela Hill, Namajunas is riding a loss, and Grasso has only won one fight in the Octagon, however, Waterson would seem to be the most likely candidate. For the moment, of course, this is purely conjecture.
Prior to her dominant November defeat of Kowalkiewicz, Jedrzejczyk weathered an early storm to move to 2-0 over Brazilian rival Claudia Gadelha. Before that win, she decisioned Valerie Letourneau, TKO’d Jessica Penne, and won the strawweight title with a second-round execution of inaugural champ Carla Esparza. The strawweight champ is now 13-0 as a mixed martial artist and, now training alongside the many monsters that call American Top Team home, seems to have a real chance at improving that record even further.
Who do you think Joanna Jedrzejczyk will fight next? Do think Michelle Waterson gets the call, or will the opportunity go to somebody else? Sound off in the comments section, PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/25/2017.