Last night, in the co-main event of UFC 211, UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk made a fifth-straight defense of her title, dominating a dangerous Jessica Andrade to a unanimous decision win.
This win, which seemed to impress every single member of The MMA community, goes down as one of the best of Jedrzejczyk’s career – and she knows it. The champ believes her Saturday night dominance can be attributed to her recent move to American Top Team in Florida, which occurred in the buildup to her last defense, a decision win over Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
“Yes, I think so, even if I’m getting older,” Jedrzejczyk said at the post-fight press conference (via MMAFighting.com). “I feel this fire, and I want to learn. Since I moved to American Top Team, I feel like I’m the bird that got to escape from its cage, if you know that meaning. I’m very hard on myself everyday, you can ask my coaches, and after a good training session, I’m not happy because I know I can do better or change something to do better, you know? That’s why I keep on defending this belt.”
“Before my last fight at Madison Square Garden, I only had six, seven weeks to work with my new coaches and team,” Jedrzejczyk said. “It wasn’t enough, but I think we still put on great work. This time we definitely had more time, and I’m very happy. I feel like I stepped on a different level and I’m looking forward to it. I (will) go on vacations for a few days to fly back to Poland to spend some time with my family, but I can’t wait to get back to ATT and put in work again with my team.”
advertisement – continue reading below
Having found a new home at American Top Team, Jedrzejczyk is now looking forward to her next fight – which is likely to pit her against dangerous contender Rose Namajunas.
“I don’t know who’s going to be my next opponent right now,” the champ said. “I’m happy about this fight and I’m looking forward to spend some time with my fiancé and my family. I will have some vacations, and after that, I will think about my next fight. I don’t care who’s my next opponent, I will put on great work and defend this title for a sixth time.”
Do you think Joanna Jedrzejczyk can take out Rose Namajunas?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/14/2017.