Tag: Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Video: UFC 275 ‘Countdown’ for Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka

Check out the UFC 275 “Countdown” featuring title fight competitors Glover Teixeira, Jiri Prochazka, Valentina Shevchenko, and Taila Santos.

The full episode of UFC 275 “Countdown” is now available and it features a closer look at the top six competitors of the upcoming pay-per-view event.

The promotion’s recurring pre-event video series takes a look at the light heavyweight title fight between champion [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (33-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (28-3-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC). The co-main bout features dominant women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) taking on [autotag]Taila Santos[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC). In the feature bout, former strawweight champions collide as [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC).

UFC 275 takes place Saturday, June 11 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

“Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the six fighters, and you can watch the full video above.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk predicts she’ll dethrone Carla Esparza for a second time after UFC 275

Joanna Jedrzejczyk thinks history is going to repeat itself against Carla Esparza.

[autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] thinks history is going to repeat itself against [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag].

After Esparza (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) claimed the UFC strawweight title from Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 this past weekend in a heavily criticized split decision, Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) appears perfectly posed to get a chance to fight for the belt.

First, of course, she has to get through her rematch with Zhang Weili at UFC 275 on June 9, which will be no easy task. Jedrzejczyk is confident she will get it done, though, and go on to challenge Esparza.

It’s a familiar situation, because Jedrzejczyk successfully went through it before. After Esparza won the inaugural 115-pound belt from Namajunas in December 2014, her reign would quickly come to an end just a few months later courtesy of a lopsided TKO win for Jedrzejczyk.

Jedrzejczyk couldn’t explain why Esparza and Namajunas put on such a dud, but not she sees the new champ as a juicy target.

“I don’t know what happened, but when you feel – that first round wasn’t good. The second wasn’t, and sometimes you have to do something to get the victory,” Jedrzejczyk told reporters on Monday’s UFC 275 media day. “Even paying a big price. But I don’t know what happened. Til the end of the fight I thought Rose got it, but no. Like Carla, I really thought she was going to look better. I was like, ‘This girl is going to look better. She has so many win streak.’ But for me, she looked the same as when we fought for the belt seven years ago in Dallas. And history likes to make a circle. And soon (I’m) to be the champ.”

[lawrence-related id=2545935]

Jedrzejczyk hasn’t fought in more than two years. The former longtime UFC titleholder last competed in March 2020 when she had a Fight of the Year war with Weili at UFC 248, losing by unanimous decision.

The pair are set to run it back in the featured bout of UFC 275, which takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Despite the long break from competition, Jedrzejczyk said she’s motivated to be back and is driven to get revenge over Weili before another rematch with Esparza that would lead to UFC gold.

“Before I accept the fight with Weili Zhang, I knew that I was going to fight for the belt,” Jedrzejczyk said. “After the first fight with Weili Zhang, I knew that I was going to be the next one in line. Sometimes it takes time and other girls have to fight for the belt as well and I Just wanted to be back. Here we go, we have a big fight. Fighting Weili Zhang for the second time is a big motivation for the me because I can be better every single day.”

[vertical-gallery id=450663]

[vertical-gallery id=2545445]

[listicle id=2544450]

Daniel Cormier: Joanna Jedrzejczyk still strawweight GOAT; Rose Namajunas ‘a ways off’

Is Rose Namajunas really “a ways off” despite two head-to-head wins over Joanna Jedrzejczyk?

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] believes [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] is still the greatest strawweight of all time.

Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) holds the division’s record for most title defenses at five but was eventually dethroned by [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] in a shocking upset knockout in November 2017.

Namajunas (11-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) would go on to beat Jedrzejczyk a second time in an immediate rematch, but despite losing to Namajunas twice, Cormier says the impact Jedrzejczyk had on the rise of the division can’t be forgotten.

“The sport’s young, so we tend to excited,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “We have seen this time and time again from Cain (Velasquez) was greatest heavyweight of all time, to Usman now may pass Georges St-Pierre, and greatest middleweight Izzy (Adesanya) is right behind Anderson (Silva) when in reality it’s not. For as much of a resume as Rose is building as the champ, she’s a ways off.

“Because the greatest champion in this division’s history is Joanna Jędrzejczyk. It doesn’t just point to the matchups because of all the defenses. The way that she truly put that weight class on the map is why we view her the way that we do.”

[lawrence-related id=2543487,2543588,2543292]

After beating Jedrzejczyk again, Namajunas lost her title to Jessica Andrade. However, she went on to avenge her loss to Andrade in a rematch then reclaim her title with a beautiful head-kick knockout of Zhang Weili at UFC 268. She enters her fourth-career rematch in Saturday’s UFC 274 co-main event when she attempts to avenge her 2014 title loss to Carla Esparza.

If Namajunas gets past Esparza, Cormier thinks it won’t just benefit her legacy.

“But does Rose step closer to being considered to be in the conversation as the greatest strawweight we have ever seen? Absolutely,” Cormier said. “I believe that this fight does more for Rose personally than it does for her legacy because you go and get that one back from when you were a kid, from when you got embarrassed after coming off the show, riding that wave of momentum.

“Her true first taste of stardom, of recognition, of visibility, she got really stumped bad by Carla Esparza. So I think personally for Rose and her entire team, this win is for them as opposed to what does it mean to the legacy of Rose Namajunas, because it’s still building. And if she’s going to be considered the greatest fighter in this division’s history, she got a little more work to do.

[mm-video type=video id=01g28da4g68x97r77p50 playlist_id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g28da4g68x97r77p50/01g28da4g68x97r77p50-70e502db97f9501b431d32d1890fbf1c.jpg]

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past two weeks (April 18-May 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 18-May 1.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk ‘willing to do five rounds’ in UFC 275 rematch against Zhang Weili

Five rounds in the rematch is no problem for one-half of the greatest women’s MMA fights in history.

Former UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] doesn’t seem to mind the idea of going 25 minutes against [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] in their rematch.

At UFC 275, the pair of former champions are currently set to clash again in a rematch of their 2020 Fight of the Year battle at UFC 248. That fight went the full 25 minutes in a battle so close, that only two of the three judges could agree on the winner. Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) failed to reclaim her title against Weili (21-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who won via split decision in what has been widely regarded as one of the greatest fights in women’s MMA history.

The rematch is set to take place in Singapore on June 11, however, this meeting is only set for three rounds. Many believe a fight of this magnitude should be scheduled for five rounds again, even though there is no title on the line. Count Jedrzejczyk among those who wouldn’t mind if the switch was made.

“Should be five or not?” Jedrzejczyk wrote on Twitter. “I’m willing to do five rounds for my fans.”

The former champ tagged UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] in the message, who was previously asked about the duration of the contest following UFC 273.

“Umm, that’s a good question,” White replied at the post-fight news conference when asked if the fight could be scheduled for 25 minutes. “You want me to make it five rounds? We’ll work on that.”

[pickup_prop id=”23154″]

[vertical-gallery id=497846]

Spinning Back Clique: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington, UFC 273 title-fight fallout, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Matthew Wells, Mike Bohn and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] is considering a return to the lightweight division if a bout with Max Holloway isn’t next or another contender doesn’t emerge following his UFC 273 title defense over Chan Sung Jung. How would he fare against the top names at 155 pounds?
  • [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] unified the UFC bantamweight title with a controversial split-decision win over [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] at UFC 273. Who was the rightful winner of the bout, and how should each man proceed with their careers from here?
  • [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] was tested against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, but emerged with a unanimous decision win. UFC president Dana White wants a matchup with Colby Covington next, but did the performance show it would be better for “The Wolf” to get more experience before fighting another top-three opponent?
  • [autotag]Weili Zhang[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joanna Jędrzejczyk[/autotag] 2 is booked for June 11 at UFC 275. Can we accurately frame this as a No. 1 contender fight? What are the stakes here?
  • Bellator 277 takes place Friday with title fights featuring [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] 2 and [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag]. Can the winner of those bouts claim top ranking at featherweight and light heavyweight, regardless of promotion?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=2536422]

[listicle id=2537065]

[listicle id=2536097]

Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Zhang Weil agree to rematch at UFC 275 in Singapore

Arguably the greatest fight in women’s mixed martial arts history, and one of the greatest fights ever, is getting a sequel.

Arguably the greatest fight in women’s mixed martial arts history, and one of the greatest fights ever, is getting a sequel as former UFC strawweight champions [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] and [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] have agreed to a rematch.

ESPN, citing UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, reported on Saturday that Jedrzejczyk and Weili have agreed to run it back June 11 at UFC 275 in Singapore.

Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Weili (21-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) partook in the consensus 2020 Fight of the Year at UFC 248, a grueling five-round battle won by then-champion Weili to retain her title. Weili is no longer champion, and Jedrzejczyk hasn’t fought in the two-plus years since losing to her.

Weili, 32, is coming off back-to-back losses to Rose Namajunas, who took the title from her with a first-round knockout last April at UFC 261. Seven months later, Weili fell short in her attempt to reclaim the belt by losing a split decision to Namajunas at UFC 268.

Since back-to-back losses herself to Namajunas, Jedrzejczyk, 34, has alternated wins and losses in her past four fights. She’s defeated Tecia Torres and Michelle Waterson but lost a flyweight title fight against Valentina Shevchenko before most recently dropping the split decision to Weili.

Uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic and handling outside ventures have kept Jedrzejczyk out of action since March 2020. She recently told MMA Junkie that a rematch with Weili was her “No. 1 interest,” and now she’ll get it.

Weili and Jedrzejczyk will enter the fight ranked Nos. 2 and 5, respectively, in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie strawweight rankings.

A title-fight rematch between champ Namajunas and former champ Carla Esparza is on deck for next month at UFC 274.

[vertical-gallery id=497846]

Joanna Jedrzejczyk has ‘a clear head and strong heart’ to fight after being away for so long

Joanna Jedrzejczyk sees herself “facing big names only” in her return to the UFC.

MIAMI – It’s been two years since [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag]’s last fight, but just because she hasn’t competed doesn’t mean she hasn’t been busy.

“My life is not only about fighting,” Jedrzejczyk, who released a biographic film during her time away, told MMA Junkie while attending Eagle FC 46. “People who know me from back in the days, they know that I’m busy with so many passions, hobbies, jobs. I’ve loved to work since I was a little girl, so I was always busy. I run my companies, I run my projects, my foundation, and maybe you didn’t see me fighting and you haven’t seen me fighting for 24 months, but I was really busy doing stuff mostly in Poland.”

Aside from the occasional visit to American Top Team, Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) hasn’t been all that focused on MMA – until now. The former UFC strawweight champion is ready to get back in the and said she “might be fighting very soon.”

Against whom? Well, that part isn’t settled. But she knows what she wants.

“I see myself facing big names only – Rose Namajunas, Carla Esparza or (Zhang Weili),” Jedrzejczyk said. “We all know Carla Esparza is next to face the champion, Rose Namajunas. So there’s (Zhang Weili) waiting on me.”

Asked if she believes that is the fight to make, Jedrzejczyk simply replied, “Might happen.”

[lawrence-related id=2529209,2090219]

Weili and Jedrzejczyk put on the Fight of the Year and one of the greatest bouts ever on March 7, 2020, which then-champion Weili won by split decision to retain the 115-pound title. Perhaps an immediate rematch would’ve been made if not for the COVID-19 pandemic taking over the world shortly after.

That contributed to Jedrzejczyk remaining out of action and focusing her energy on other personal business. If all goes right, Jedrzejczyk will get the Weili rematch soon as one of two bouts she hopes to have this year.

After focusing on personal business and being out of action for so long, fighting is back to being a priority.

“I really took time for myself as a woman, as a business woman, and I’m very happy with it,” Jedrzejczyk said. “So now I have a clear head and strong heart, and I’m ready to fight.”

[vertical-gallery id=450663]

Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s ‘No. 1 interest’ is Zhang Weili rematch or ‘big fight’ in UFC return

Joanna Jedrzejczyk is only looking to fight the upper echelon of the UFC strawweight division in her return.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] is only looking to fight the upper echelon of the UFC strawweight division in her return.

The former champion hasn’t competed since her Fight of the Year against Zhang Weili in March 2020 at UFC 248, and avenging her loss is the top priority.

“I have No. 1 interest in this fight,” Jedrzejczyk told reporters, including MMA Junkie on Saturday while a guest fighter at UFC 272.

But if Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) doesn’t get Weili (21-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), whom she says currently is dealing with visa and quarantine issues, she wants either the champion or the projected next title challenger.

“I have three names I want to fight: Rose Namajunas, No. 1 contender Carla Esparza, or Weili Zhang,” Jedrzejczyk said. “We put on a hell of a performance. Why not do it again?

“I’m waiting on big fights only. Weili was busy with fighting Rose, so now Carla Esparza shows up. She’s the next pretendant, and I’m ready to get back. But I was focused on myself, on getting better. I feel strong physically, mentally and just happy to be here. I’m training really hard.”

[vertical-gallery id=497846]

Former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk expects Zhang Weili rematch in UFC return

Former UFC champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is targeting a 2022 return with a rematch against Zhang Weili.

The wheels seem to be turning for a [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] long-awaited octagon return.

The former UFC strawweight champion is targeting a comeback this year and hopes it’s against one of her most memorable rivals – [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]. The initial meeting was Jedrzejczyk’s (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) most recent fight, as they put on the Fight of the Year at UFC 248 in March 2020 at UFC 248, with Weili (21-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) winning a split decision in the unforgettable contest.

Jedrzejczyk has teased a return in the nearly two years since, but nothing has materialized. Speaking in Polish with Kanal Sportowy, Jedrzejczyk opened up about her plans to return to action in 2022.

“Everyone thinks I’m not in the UFC anymore,” Jedrzejczyk said (translation via Sport.pl). “I am, I just dropped out of the rankings, because I haven’t fought for a dozen or so months. But I’m coming back and fighting (the No. 1 contender). It will probably be Zhang Weili.”

[lawrence-related id=1937033,1895915]

Jedrzejczyk, 34, last lost four of her past six fights, but all of the defeats were for a championship. The Polish fighter said UFC president Dana White offered her another title opportunity next, but she didn’t want to wait until late in the year to challenge the winner of Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza.

The UFC has yet to officially book the strawweight title fight, but White already announced that Esparza will be the next challenger for champion Namajunas.

“I thought it might be Carla Esparza, but (it’s) confirmed that she is the next to fight the championship,” Jedrzejczyk said. “Somewhere there is (Maria) Rodriguez, who also fights Yan (Xiaonan) in March, and (then it) becomes Zhang Weili. I don’t see any other fight. Just going for the belt.

“Dana made me an offer to fight for the championship, but I would have to wait until November, December and I don’t want to wait. I want to fight.”

Jedrzejczyk didn’t reveal when the fans could possibly expect a potential rematch with Weili, but she’s confident it’ll come to fruition in 2022.

[vertical-gallery id=497846]