Miesha Tate has given her thoughts on the recent retirement of Joanna Jedrzejczyk and why she respects her decision.

Following her knockout loss to Weili Zhang at UFC 275 earlier this month, Joanna Jedrzejczyk opted to walk away from the sport of mixed martial arts and retire. It was clearly a tough move for her to make but in the wake of her decision, many fans and pundits alike couldn’t help but look back fondly on the incredible career she had as the former strawweight queen.

Miesha Tate, who looks set to move down to flyweight in an attempt to add to her own legacy, used an appearance on The MMA Hour to praise Jedrzejczyk and what she’d achieved in the UFC.

“I didn’t expect it when I saw her taking off her gloves off inside the octagon, I was like, ‘What a minute,’” Tate said. “Because I thought she looked phenomenal. I thought both women looked like elevated versions of themself, and I still think Joanna has a lot to offer should she choose to continue fighting.”

“As I’ve come to realize later in my life, and I think what she’s come to realize – and I had an interview with her just a couple weeks ago for our show – and she was so happy and fulfilled, and I recognized that in her,” Tate said. “She was in a great place, she was going in with a great mindset. I just feel like she’s ready to move on to the next chapter.

“I’ve been in that position before, except now she’s 35 years old, so I do think this is probably a smart decision, because it’s what she wants and what makes her happy, and life is too short to be miserable.

“We’ve got to go out there and find what lights our souls on fire. We get one go-around in this, unless you believe in reincarnation, but we don’t remember our other lives anyways, so basically we get one go-around. I think she’s doing it right – she wants to start a family and she wants to be a businesswoman.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

What are your thoughts on the career of Joanna Jedrzejczyk?