Former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk lands a kick on Zhang Weili. Photo: AP
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https://scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3080528/ufc-joanna-jedrzejczyk-thinking-life-after Mixed Martial Arts
UFC: Joanna Jedrzejczyk thinking of life after fighting, but wants ‘even better’ Zhang Weili rematch first
- ‘I took lots of damage – every next fight is going to be a big risk, and I want to be a mother in the future,’ says former champ
- Jedrzejczyk feels she has doesn’t have to prove that she’s the next challenger for Zhang’s strawweight title
Zhang Weili trades blows with Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in Las Vegas. Photo: AFP
Joanna Jedrzejczyk came very close to wresting the strawweight title from the waist of Zhang Weili at UFC 248 – about as close as one could. Yet after 25 minutes of frenetic violence that left both women nearly unrecognisable, the judges awarded the split decision win, and thereby the title, to Zhang.
It was a devastating outcome for Jedrzejczyk, who ruled over the strawweight division from 2015-2017, but she recognised it was beyond her control.
“You know, you can’t do s***,” Jedrzejczyk told the Post from her home in Poland, a little over a month after the fight in Vegas.
“There are people saying she won, there are people saying I won, but at the end I lost that fight,” she added. “It’s heartbreaking, but I’m proud of myself because I did my best.”
The fight took an immense physical toll on both women, and the pair were immediately carted off to a local hospital. Jedrzejczyk, who suffered significant swelling on her forehead, spent several hours in the care of doctors. It was a far cry from the after-party she’d planned to enjoy with the legion of family and friends that had flown in from Poland to support her.
“They did a small medical procedure on my ear, I had a CAT scan, I had an ultrasound, I had an X-ray, and honestly, after a fight like this, I felt like every touch from the doctors and nurses, everything was so painful,” Jedrzejczyk said of her hospital visit. “I didn’t want anybody to touch my body, and I felt like my heart was bleeding, like my soul was bleeding.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk touches her forehead at the end of a round during her split decision loss to Zhang Weili. Photo: AFP
“I always know that anything can happen in a fight, but I didn’t expect to be that bruised and in so much pain.”
It was not the night Jedrzejczyk envisioned for herself, but there was a silver lining: her fight with Zhang was immediately hailed as one of the greatest UFC fights ever.
The former champion is proud to have been a part of a contest that will go down in history.
“I’m very happy,” Jedrzejczyk said. “You don’t have to take first place to be the winner.
“People were doubting me before this fight, but show me another girl who can stand this, who can bring the pain,” she added. “I feel like I cemented my legacy even more. This is what I’m proud of. So many years ago, I said ‘I want to be a legend’. People said ‘what does that mean?’ It means being someone who people are going to talk about for years. When you die, people forget you. I want to be remembered.”
Spend enough time speaking with Jedrzejczyk, and it will become clear how much importance she places on building a legacy.
Zhang Weili lands a punch on Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Photo: AP
The 32-year-old can rest easy. With six UFC belts on her mantle and an unforgettable war with Zhang on her resume, she’s already earned her place in the MMA pantheon. So why keep fighting?
That’s something she wonders often.
“That’s a question I ask myself every day,” she said. “I’m not getting any younger. I’m only getting older.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannajedrzejczyk) on
“I took lots of damage in my last fight and I’m really grateful that nothing serious happened to me. It was only bruises. Every next fight is going to be a big risk, and I want to be a mother in the future.”
While the damage Jedrzejczyk endured in Las Vegas has her considering her future in MMA, her gutsy performance in that fight is also the reason she believes now isn’t the right time to retire.
“If I put on a hell of a performance, a hell of a war, why retire?” she said. “If I was not training hard, if I was getting knocked out, if I was losing fights like a p****, then I could retire – but I’m a warrior.”
Zhang Weili celebrates her win by decision over Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Photo: AP
Jedrzejczyk is eager to fight again, but she won’t be accepting a fight with just anybody. In a perfect world, she’ll be rematching Zhang soon.
“I know there are girls who deserve this as well,” she said, conceding that her division is home to several contenders. “[But] if I’m going to fight, I’m going for the biggest fight.
“Dana [White] and the UFC, of course they can put someone else [in the title fight], I can wait for it, but I feel like I don’t have to prove anything to anybody,” she added. “I don’t have to prove that I’m the next challenger.”
Zhang Weili takes a punch form Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Photo: AFP
If Jedrzejczyk is going to fight Zhang again, she expects to be paid well. In this case, it’s not about what she needs, but what she deserves.
“I’m doing it for the biggest trophy and big money,” she said. “I have f****** tons of money. I don’t need to do it for money, but the next fight is going to be for the money.”
It’s unlikely that the UFC will need much convincing to sweeten the pot for Jedrzejczyk in the interest of booking a rematch between the former champ and Zhang. Just in case the promotion needs a little extra motivation, however, Jedrzejczyk promises the rematch will outshine the pair’s first meeting.
“The next one is going to be even better,” she said.