On Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC 223, former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk came up short in a bid to reclaim her title from champ Rose Namajunas, losing a close and somewhat controversial decision.
Speaking at the UFC 223 post-fight press conference, Jedrzejczyk admitted that she felt she’d done enough to win, especially given the fact that she actually out-landed the champion in the fight.
“We thought the second round was super close, but man, more kicks from me,” Jedrzejczyk said (via MMAJunkie). “[Namajunas] gassed out from the third round, and I could fight 10 more rounds. At the end of every break, I was on my feet, ready to go.”
“The significant strikes are telling the truth,” Jedrzejczyk reiterated later, once again referencing the fact that she landed more than her foe.
“Let’s see how [Namajunas is] going to walk tomorrow.”
While Jedrzejczyk feels she should have been awarded the decision, she is satisfied with her performance in the fight—unlike her first loss to Namajunas, a first-round knockout that followed a disastrous weight cut.
“I felt I was winning the fight,” she said. “I’m not complaining that I lost. I’m a really different fighter. I have done so much for myself and the sport. I feel great.”
Whatever the case, Jedrzejczyk feels she proved she’s still a head and shoulders above her peers in the flyweight division.
“You can see the other female strawweights fighting, and c’mon,” she said. “They cannot compare themselves to me. They are all are only jealous and talking too much all the time. I’m telling them, bow down. I’m the queen.”
From here, Jedrzejczyk will embark on a well-deserved vacation. Once she’s settled back home, she’ll give some more thought to her fighting future—including a potential move up to flyweight.
“I feel great in the 115-pound division,” she said of her future. “But we’ll see where we go after vacation.”
What do you think the future holds for Joanna Jedrzejczyk?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/9/2018.