Joanna_Jedrzejczyk

Joanna Jędrzejczyk

Joanna Jędrzejczyk

Polish mixed martial artist and kickboxer


Joanna Jędrzejczyk (Polish: [jɔˈanna jɛndˈʐɛjtʂɨk], born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist and Muay Thai kickboxer. She has been called the greatest female strawweight mixed martial artist of all time, including by Daniel Cormier, who credited her with putting the weight class "on the map".[6][7] Jędrzejczyk holds several records in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion, including most successful strawweight title defenses (5), most consecutive wins at strawweight (8), and is the first Polish champion and first female European champion.

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After discovering Muay Thai as a teenager, Jędrzejczyk went on to earn six medals (five gold) at the IFMA World Muaythai Championships and held several different championship titles with promotions such as World Kickboxing Network and World Muaythai Council. Switching to mixed martial arts (MMA) in May 2012, Jędrzejczyk went undefeated in her first nine fights and won the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship in March 2015 after defeating Carla Esparza at UFC 185. Over the next two years, she continued her undefeated streak with five successful title defenses against opponents such as Jessica Penne, Cláudia Gadelha, and Jéssica Andrade. Jędrzejczyk suffered the first loss of her MMA career when she lost the championship to Rose Namajunas in November 2017. After losing a rematch with Namajunas, Jędrzejczyk defeated Tecia Torres before briefly returning to flyweight in an unsuccessful attempt to capture the vacant UFC Women's Flyweight Championship against Valentina Shevchenko in December 2018. Following a strawweight win over Michelle Waterson, Jędrzejczyk faced new strawweight champion Zhang Weili at UFC 248 in March 2020. Jędrzejczyk lost by split decision in what many pundits called the greatest fight in women's MMA history. Following a two-year layoff, Jędrzejczyk retired from mixed martial arts in June 2022 after losing a rematch against Zhang at UFC 275.

Muay Thai and kickboxing

Jędrzejczyk discovered Muay Thai when she was 16, while taking up fitness, which eventually led her to compete in national and European tournaments.[8][9] Jędrzejczyk competed in Muay Thai and kickboxing for 10 years, winning over 60 matches. Her amateur Muay Thai accomplishments include six IFMA world medals (five gold, one silver) and four IFMA European championships with a record of 37 wins and 3 losses. During her professional career Jędrzejczyk won five world titles including the WKN World Championship, J Girls Championship, WBKF Championship, WKF European Championship, and the WMC Championship.[10][11] Her professional record is 27–3.

Mixed martial arts

Early career

Jędrzejczyk made her professional debut in mixed martial arts (MMA) on May 19, 2012, at SFT - MMA Fight Night Diva SPA against Sylwia Juskiewicz, winning via unanimous decision.[12] On December 8, 2012, at MFC 5 she defeated Lily Kazak by submission via rear naked choke.[13] On June 20, 2013, at Battle of Moscow 12 she defeated the then #1 Russian WMMA flyweight fighter Julia Berezikova via unanimous decision.[14]

By July 2013, Jędrzejczyk was the #7 women's flyweight fighter in the world by Fight Matrix.[15]

On June 7, 2014, at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 69 she defeated Rosi Sexton via knockout in the second round.[16]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Jędrzejczyk officially signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in July 2014.[17] She made her promotional debut, now fighting as a strawweight, on July 26, 2014, at UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. Brown against Juliana Lima. She won the fight via unanimous decision.[18]

Jędrzejczyk next faced undefeated strawweight top contender Cláudia Gadelha on December 13, 2014, at UFC on Fox 13.[19] She won the fight via split decision. The judges' decision was met with much controversy as the majority of the MMA media scored the bout in favor of Gadelha.[20]

Strawweight Champion

Jędrzejczyk faced Carla Esparza for the UFC Strawweight Championship on March 14, 2015, at UFC 185.[21] Jędrzejczyk won the one-sided bout via TKO in the second round, becoming the first UFC title-holder from Poland and first female European UFC champion.[9][22] Subsequently, Jędrzejczyk won a Performance of the Night bonus.[23]

Jędrzejczyk posing with the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship Belt

Jędrzejczyk's first title defense was against Jessica Penne on June 20, 2015, at UFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne in Berlin, Germany. She successfully defended the title against Penne, defeating her in the third round via TKO following a flurry of punches and a knee against the cage. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors.[24][25] Jędrzejczyk later underwent surgery to repair a fractured thumb incurred during the fight.[26]

In her second title defense, Jędrzejczyk faced Valérie Létourneau on November 15, 2015, in the co-main event at UFC 193. She won the fight by unanimous decision to retain her title.[27] The 220 significant strikes landed by Jędrzejczyk were the most ever in a championship fight.[28] 70 leg kicks were landed by Jędrzejczyk, the most in UFC history at the time. The previous record was 68, set by Carlos Condit against Nick Diaz at UFC 143.[28]

In early 2016, the UFC announced that Jędrzejczyk would be one of the coaches, opposite former opponent Cláudia Gadelha on The Ultimate Fighter 23. A rematch between the two took place on July 8, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale[29] in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. She won the fight via unanimous decision.[30] Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night for their performance.[31]

Jędrzejczyk successfully defended her title for the 4th consecutive time by defeating fellow Pole Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision on November 12, 2016, at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden, the first event the promotion had held in the historic arena.[32]

Jędrzejczyk faced Jéssica Andrade on May 13, 2017, at UFC 211. She won the fight via unanimous decision, and successfully defended her title for the fifth consecutive time.[33] Jędrzejczyk landed the most significant strikes in UFC championship history (225), had the highest significant strike differential in UFC championship history (142), and broke her previous record for most leg kicks thrown in a single fight (75).[34]

For her sixth title defense, Jędrzejczyk faced Rose Namajunas at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 4, 2017. In a huge upset, she lost the bout via KO (punches) in the first round, marking her first professional loss in mixed martial arts competition.[35]

Post-championship

A title fight rematch between Namajunas and Jędrzejczyk took place on April 7, 2018, at UFC 223.[36] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[37]

Jędrzejczyk faced Tecia Torres on July 28, 2018, at UFC on Fox 30.[38] She won the fight via unanimous decision.[39]

Return to Flyweight

On September 20, 2018, it was announced that Jędrzejczyk was expected to return to flyweight to face Valentina Shevchenko on December 8, 2018, at UFC 231 for the vacant UFC Women's Flyweight Championship.[40] Due to UFC 230 being in need of a main event, Shevchenko was booked against Sijara Eubanks.[41] After the UFC announced Cormier vs. Lewis on October 9, 2018, UFC confirmed the bout between Shevchenko and Eubanks was canceled and that Jędrzejczyk would again fight for the title against Shevchenko in the co-main event at UFC 231.[42] Jędrzejczyk lost the fight via a unanimous decision.[43]

Return to Strawweight

Jędrzejczyk faced Michelle Waterson on October 12, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 19.[44] Per news reports, Jędrzejczyk had informed the UFC that she might not be able to make the Strawweight limit; however, she weighed in at 115.5 pounds.[45][46] She won the fight via unanimous decision.[47]

Jędrzejczyk faced Zhang Weili for UFC Women's Strawweight Championship on March 7, 2020, at UFC 248.[48] She lost the fight via split decision.[49] This fight earned her the Fight of the Night award,[50] and was considered by many pundits as the greatest fight in women's MMA history.[51][52][53]

A rematch between Jędrzejczyk and Zhang took place on June 11, 2022 at UFC 275.[54] Jędrzejczyk lost the fight after getting knocked out with a spinning backfist in the second round. In her post-fight interview, Jędrzejczyk announced her retirement from mixed martial arts, saying, "It's been 20 years. I'm turning 35 this year. I want to be a mom. I want to be a businesswoman. I've been training two decades, more than half of my life. I appreciate you all. I love you guys."[55][56]

It was announced on March 10, 2024 that Jędrzejczyk will be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame in July 2024.[57]

Fighting style and coaches

A decorated kickboxer, Jędrzejczyk is known for precise and calculated striking.[58] She employs a sprawl-and-brawl strategy in MMA fighting.[59][60] While standing with opponents, she constantly varies between high punches and body shots, also utilizing knees, elbows, and high front kicks.[61][62] She also uses a flurry of strikes just to confuse the opponent before landing a solid strike, much akin to Chuck Liddell.[63] SportsJoe.ie MMA journalist Darragh Murphy summed up her fighting style: "Her technique has the right combination of sublimity and relentlessness, expressing one's typically violent art through beauty, the perfect storm."[64]

Jędrzejczyk is soft-spoken and has a calm and endearing personality with fans.[65][66][67][68][69] However, she often employs the use of trash-talk against her opponents before fights,[70][71][72] and her fights have been known to be violent and bloody.[71][73][74] UFC president Dana White has praised her stating "She is so bad ass... pound-for-pound [she is the] best female fighter on Earth... Her killer instinct is ridiculous."[75] MMA media have called Jędrzejczyk "must-see TV".[76][77][78][79]

Jędrzejczyk has been praised for her elite level sprawl-and-brawl strategy. Fightland striking analyst Jack Slack has written that "she's being likened to Chuck Liddell, and that is a pretty solid way to describe her...while she has an undoubtedly better technical striking game than Liddell".[80] BloodyElbow.com striking analyst Connor Ruebusch has written "Distance, angles, and damage. These are the key ingredients of successful takedown defense, and the elements that make Joanna Jędrzejczyk and José Aldo such masterful strikers."[60] The Washington Post striking analyst Patrick Wyman wrote that "sound fundamentals fuel the best fighters in the world, and nobody has better mastered the bread and butter of footwork and distance management than Aldo and Jedrzejczyk".[81] Foxsports.com striking analyst Jason Parillo has stated that "Joanna's MMA boxing is remarkable. It's second to none".[82]

Since her training camp for UFC 205, Jędrzejczyk has trained at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.[83]

Her strength and conditioning coaches are Phil Daru and Jose Rojas.[84] In 2021, Jędrzejczyk was promoted to blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu after training in the gi.[85]

Personal life

Jędrzejczyk is Catholic and prays with a rosary before entering the ring or Octagon.[86]

She was the fiancée of former Polish football player Przemysław Buta.[87] In a 2019 interview, she cited "some difficulties" in her personal life for "almost two years," confirming that she is no longer engaged to Buta.[88]

Filmography

Film

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Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Kickboxing

  • J-Girls Kickboxing Federation
    • 2009 J-Girls World Featherweight Champion[117]
  • World Budokai Federation
    • 2013 WBKF Pro Title
  • World Kickboxing Federation
    • 2010 WKF European Champion

Muay Thai

  • IFMA World Championships
    • 2013  Gold -57 kg
    • 2012  Gold -57 kg
    • 2011  Gold -57 kg
    • 2009  Gold -57 kg
    • 2008  Silver -57 kg
  • IFMA European Championships
    • 3x IFMA European Champion (2008, 2012)
  • World Muaythai Council
    • WMC/EMF European Champion (one time)
  • World Kickboxing Network
    • 2010 WKN Muay Thai World -57 kg Champion (one time)[118]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
21 matches 16 wins 5 losses
By knockout 4 2
By submission 1 0
By decision 11 3
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Pay-per-view bouts

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Muay Thai & Kickboxing record (incomplete)

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See also


References

  1. "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne". UFC.com. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  2. "Joanna JEDRZEJCZYK new K-1 female European Champion". wkfworld.com. 11 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  3. Hannoun, Farah (2 May 2022). "Daniel Cormier: Joanna Jedrzejczyk still strawweight GOAT; Rose Namajunas 'a ways off'". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  4. "Official UFC Fighter Profile". ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  5. Gooden, John (2014-12-13). "UFC 185: Joanna Jedrzejczyk profile - just for kicks….and a UFC world title". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  6. "Joanna Jędrzejczyk". awakeningfighters.com.
  7. "Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Lily Kazak". Cagerank.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  8. "Cage Warriors – Super Saturday: Results - SplitDecision MMA UK". SplitDecision MMA UK. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  9. "Welcome to the UFC: Lukasz Sajewski & Joanna Jedrzejczyk". Bloody Elbow. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  10. Dave Doyle (2015-01-14). "Carla Esparza defends strawweight title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  11. C.J. Tuttle (2015-03-15). "UFC 185 Bonuses: Dos Anjos, Jedrzejczyk, Pearson, Dariush earn $50K awards". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
  12. Tristen Critchfield (2015-06-20). "UFC Fight Night bonuses: Jedrzejczyk, Penne, Taisumov, Allen garner $50K". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  13. Jesse Holland (2016-07-08). "TUF 23 Finale live stream results: 'Jedrzejczyk vs Gadelha' play-by-play updates". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  14. Ken Pishna (2015-07-09). "TUF 23 Finale results: Joanna Jedrzejczyk outlasts Claudia Gadelha then apologizes". mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  15. Tristen Critchfield (2015-07-09). "'TUF 23' Finale bonuses: Jedrzejczyk, Gadelha earn 'Fight of the Night' for spirited battle". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  16. José Youngs (2016-09-23). "Report: Joanna Jędrzejczyk to defend title against Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 205". fansided.com. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  17. Brandon Wise (2018-09-20). "Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valentina Shevchenko set for flyweight title fight at UFC 231". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  18. "Joanna não baterá peso-palha, e Waterson recusa duelo em peso-casado no UFC Tampa". Combate (in Portuguese). 2019-10-09. Archived from the original on 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  19. Doherty, Dan (2019-10-12). "UFC Tampa Results: Joanna Jedrzejczyk Returns to Form Against Tough Michelle Waterson". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  20. Adam Hill (2019-12-13). "Strawweight champ Weili Zhang to fight at UFC 248 in Las Vegas". LasVegasReview-Journal.com. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  21. Fuentes, Jon (2020-03-08). "UFC 248 Results: Weili Zhang Edges Joanna Jedrzejczyk In All-Time Classic". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  22. Dan Hiergesell (2020-03-08). "UFC 248 Bonuses! O'Malley Banks $50K For 'Prelims' TKO". MMAmania. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  23. Karri, Siri. "Zhang Weili edges Joanna Jedrzejczyk in one of the greatest fights of all time". thebodylockmma.com. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  24. Lee, Alexander K. (2020-12-28). "MMA Fighting's 2020 Fight of the Year: Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  25. "Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk steals the show at UFC 248". ESPN.com. 2020-03-23. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  26. "Weili Zhang rematches Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 275". Asian MMA. 2022-04-10. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  27. Anderson, Jay (2022-06-11). "UFC 275: Zhang Hits Spinning Back Fist KO, Jedrzejczyk Retires Following Thrilling Rematch". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  28. Segura, Danny; Subhan, Abbey (12 June 2022). "'It's time to fully enjoy my life': Joanna Jedrzejczyk explains retirement decision after UFC 275". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  29. Marrocco, Steven (2024-03-10). "Joanna Jedrzejczyk inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  30. McKinnell, Ryan (2015-03-09). "Will 'fastest hands in MMA' help Joanna Jedrzejczyk win UFC gold?". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  31. Ruebusch, Connor (11 March 2015). "UFC 185 Judo Chop - Joanna Jedrzejczyk: Payback and Fighting Dirty". SB Nation (BloodyElbow.com). Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  32. Ruebusch, Connor (5 July 2016). "Sprawl & Maul: The Striking of Joanna Jedrzejczyk & Jose Aldo". SB Nation (BloodyElbow.com). Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  33. Nelson, Chris (2014-07-26). "UFC on Fox 12 Results". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  34. Nelson, Chris (2014-12-13). "UFC on Fox 13 Results". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  35. McCarter, Nathan. "Jedrzejczyk Is Most Swaggy UFCer". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  36. "UFC Trying To Make Joanna Jedrzejczyk A Superstar". www.mmanews.com. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  37. Cole, Ross (23 June 2015). "Joanna Jedrzejczyk May Require Surgery For Badly Broken Thumb". www.mmainsight.com. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  38. Al-Shatti, Shaun (6 July 2016). "Joanna Jedrzejczyk on TUF rivalry: 'I'm sorry that you saw Bully Joanna'". SB Nation (MMAFighting.com). Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  39. "Champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk Is Pure Violence". CagedInsider.com. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  40. Bacos, Michael. "FN 69: Why Jedrzejczyk Is 'Must-See' TV". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  41. Alexander, Mookie (11 July 2016). "UFC International Fight Week 2016 - Winners and Losers". SB Nation (BloodyElbow.com). Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  42. Slack, Jack. "Joanna Champion's Striking Clinic". Fightland. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  43. "Jose Aldo and Joanna Jedrzejczyk: The brilliance of fundamentals". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  44. "Joanna explains 'quite difficult' ATT move". Bloody Elbow. 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  45. BjjTribes (2021-10-20). "UFC Fighter Joanna Jedrzejczyk gets promoted to BJJ Blue Belt". BjjTribes. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  46. Sheinbaum, Hilary (13 November 2015). "How UFC Champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk is Making History". Yahoo! News.
  47. "Jędrzejczyk pokazała narzeczonego". www.fakt.pl. 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  48. Cieśla, Bartosz (13 December 2018). "Joanna Jędrzejczyk w zwiastunie filmu "Kobiety Mafii 2"". MMA.pl (in Polish).
  49. UFC (June 16, 2023). "UFC Fight Stats". UFC.
  50. "Joanna Jedrzejczyk Takes WMMA Press Award for Strawweight of the Year". Wombat Sports. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  51. "Best of 2015: MMA half-year awards". Yahoo Sports. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  52. "Fight Matrix | MMA Awards". www.fightmatrix.com. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  53. Tristen Critchfield (December 28, 2020). "Sherdog's 2020 Fight of the Year". Sherdog.
  54. Meltzer, Dave. "March 1, 2021, Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2020 awards issue, Elimination Chamber". Figure4Weekly. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  55. Alexander K. Lee (December 28, 2020). "MMA Fighting's 2020 Fight of the Year: Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk". mmafighting.com.
  56. Staff (December 29, 2020). "MMA 2020 Year in Review: Fight of the Year". Cageside Press.
  57. "MMAWeekly's Best of 2020". mmaweekly.com. January 1, 2021.
  58. "WKN Big 8 Tournament Results". archive.prokick.com/. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
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