Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a league of her own
Written by: Derek Moody
2/25/2016, 11:30 a.m.
Tweet to: @DerekMoody619
When Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Women’s Strawweight Champion, enters the Octagon, her fights look way too easy for her; she’s certainly in a league of her own. The champ is easily turning into the Demetrious Johnson of her division, running over the competition. Her only true challenge was for the title eliminator against Claudia Gadelha, who just about everyone assumed would be the next Women’s Strawweight Champion, knowing Carla Esparza wasn’t on her level.
Jedrzejczyk won a highly controversial split-decision in her fight with Gadelha. Then, the rumblings began due to Gadelha effectively landing seven takedowns, leading to an overwhelming amount of ground control. The most surprising aspect of the fight was Gadelha finishing with more total strikes but less significant strikes.
Gadelha has said many times that Jedrzejczyk lost to her and she knows it. The fight stats certainly support her claim, as did one of the judges. Two other judges disagreed, most likely giving Jedrzejczyk rounds one and two because of the knockdown and significant strikes. Whoever were to be the victor, were sure to come away with ex-champion Carla Esparza’s title.
After that fight took place, Jedrzejczyk went on to embarrass the inaugural Women’s Strawweight Champ Carla Esparza, defeating her very convincingly, stuffing 12 out of 13 takedowns while destroying her on the feet. Jedrzejczyk has progressed enormously since fighting Gadelha. The next time they meet, a split decision won’t be the outcome.
For a while, I wondered what’s next for Jedrzejczyk. The only scenario that makes sense is a rematch with #1 contender Claudia Gadelha. In five UFC fights, only two women have actually stood a chance against the champ and one of them just had a title shot not making it immediately rematch worthy. The other, obviously Gadelha, who has only had one fight since losing the title eliminator.
When it was announced that the champ and #1 contender will be the next set of athletes to coach The Ultimate Fighter, Gadelha’s camp wasn’t too happy to take part. They prefer just having the fight and not the reality TV aspect that bears all the drama. TUF 23 Finale is scheduled for July 8th. This rematch is long overdue, pending any injuries this fight will be the best in women’s strawweight history.
I’m still looking forward to seeing Maryna “Iron Woman” Moroz, the submission specialist, challenge Jedrzejczyk for the title in the near future. They built up some bad blood after Moroz called out the champ in her post-fight interview. That fight would have taken place last November, but Moroz was upset by Valerie Letourneau, who ended up getting the title shot. There’s plenty of talent in this weight class, the problem is the champ is just clearly on another level. The top 10 is stacked, virtually any of these women look as though they could be the future champion of the strawweight division, but only after Joanna Jedrzejczyk has moved on from the division.
Many of them were champions in other companies but this is the big leagues and competition in the UFC is unparalleled. The only women in this division I can see giving Jedrzejczyk problems would be Claudia Gadelha, Maryna Moroz, and Michelle Waterson. I think there’s a power difference that may affect Waterson, seeing how she had to gain weight to enter this division coming over from Invicta FC. Moroz may have been exposed when it comes to speed and power by Letourneau. Letourneau’s striking is a level below Jedrzejczyk, so Moroz would need this to end up on the ground. Gadelha already lost a very controversial decision to Jedrzejczyk, which is fueling the fire for the rematch. Being near each other for six weeks, one of them may break before fight day.
Is being on top of the strawweight division enough for Jedrzejczyk to be content? Not at all. She plans on being the best female mixed martial artist on the planet, and we’re seeing glimpse of it every fight she has. The only way to accomplish that feat would be to move up to bantamweight and dominate there as well, unless a flyweight division is created. Jedrzejczyk has already stated that if her strawweight reign goes well, and it has, she’ll eventually move up. Assuming that happens, we’ll get an opportunity to see potential super fights. As of now, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is sitting atop her throne adding to her legacy.