Joanna Jedrzejczyk vows to reclaim title, sees Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade as ‘50-50’

MMAfighting.com

Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s strawweight journey is far from over and the former champion is adamant she will reclaim the belt.

In her last fight, the Polish striking ace moved up to flyweight to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant title. However, knowing that she would inevitably return to the lighter weight class, she didn’t put on any additional size to compete in the higher bracket.

“Before the fight with Valentina I knew that I was going to drop to the strawweight division again. I didn’t want to put on

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weight but in the fight, I felt different,” Jedrzejczyk told Eurobash. “I felt that Valentina was very strong in the clinch or on the ground and it took so much time for me to get out and get the fight back on my feet.”

With her eyes firmly set on a return to the bracket, the ATT standout has vowed to reclaim her title.

“Now I want to compete in the strawweight division, win this belt and I will do that, mark my words here and now. After that, I will move to the flyweight division,” she said.

Having taken on both fighters in the past, Jedrzejczyk is in a better position to breakdown the upcoming title fight between Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade, which takes place at UFC 237 in May. However, she expects the contest to be a very even clash given how both competitors have strengths in different areas.

“I beat Jessica so easily, only with my jab, and the thing is, she’s such a dangerous fighter. There is nobody else who has beaten her [at strawweight],” said the former champion.

“For me, it’s 50-50 between her and Rose Namajunas. If Rose Namajunas is going to be smart and use her footwork and distance, she can win this fight. But of course, Jessica Andrade is like a bull in a fight. I cannot wait to face Rose or Andrade, but I would like to face Andrade one more time to show to people that there is only person that can beat her…and it’s me.”

Jedrzejczyk went on to herald her performance against the Brazilian as one of the best of her career.

“I think one of my best fights ever was with Jessica Andrade, but believe it or not, I did not win the fight with Rose Namajunas, but I was more ready, I was even better prepared.”

Check out the latest episode of Eurobash. The Joanna Jedrzejczyk interview begins at 5:00.