The combat sports universe moves at the speed of light, but even with the infinite treadmill of social media and face-punch dates being booked, it’s hard to forget Rose Namajunas dethroning UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217. The unexpected result was juxtaposed by the former champ’s signature pre-fight scare tactics. …But they didn’t work. Now Jedrzejczyk seeks to take back what’s hers and is righting wrongs along the way.
“That night I was not one hundred percent competitor for [Rose Namajunas]. […] I am sure that there will be no negligence before the return from Namajunas. After what happened in November, my eyes and ears are open even wider. I am even more demanding not only to myself, but also to my colleagues, to people, who are creating my team. And at the same time I trust them very much. My ties with coaches Katel Kubis and Mike Brown, ties with sparring partners, as well as with the owner of ATT, have tightened considerably.”
LET’S GO 🏆 Titles are on the line as the UFC heads to Brooklyn.
Tickets on sale NOW: https://t.co/W4aS2N2hlR #UFC223 pic.twitter.com/R9lw3OJUVw
— UFC (@ufc) March 11, 2018
“In the last fight I didn’t show the best of myself and I did not want to delay anything. I know what the problem was coming in to the November fight which affected the result. I want to correct this as soon as possible and win back the championship title. Now I weigh only [two pounds] more than during fight week. I believe that there will be no problem with the weight cut preparation, and before the fight I will feel 100% ready both physically and psychologically.” — Joanna Jedrzejczyk speaking to Onet Sport.
It was revealed after her loss to Rose Namajunas that Jedrzejczyk cut an enormous amount of weight the night before the weigh-ins. Now, according to the former champ she is only a few pounds off from where she needs to be. No matter what happens, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is making sure there are no excuses this time on April 7th.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/13/2018.