UFC: Joanna Jedrzejczyk reacts to Rose Namajunas vs Weili Zhang rematch – ‘These girls are on fire’

Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk tuned in for Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang’s recent championship rematch, and it’s safe to say she liked what she saw.

Namajunas (11-4) and Zhang (21-3) met in the co-main event of UFC 268 on November 6 in New York City. The bout was a rematch of an early 2021 fight that Namajunas won by first-round knockout to capture the championship. In the end, Namajunas also won the sequel, but by a much thinner margin, retaining her title with a competitive – and somewhat controversial – split decision victory.

“I watched that fight the day after – the Sunday morning, because it was very late in Poland,” Jedrzejczyk, 34, told the Post from Warsaw. “It was a good fight. The strawweight division is evolving. It’s the lightest division in the UFC but these girls are on fire and I’m very excited to see that.”

Jedrzejczyk (16-4), who ruled over the strawweight division from 2015-2017, was impressed by both women, but noted she was surprised by the difficulty Zhang had returning to her feet after being taken down by the champion.

“Rose is just getting stronger,” she said. “Good takedowns, good ground game. I was surprised Weili Zhang was not able to stand up to bring the fight on the feet again, but Weili did a good job on the ground as well.”

UFC 268: Zhang sends fans inspirational message after Namajunas loss

Jedrzejczyk has fought both Namajunas and Zhang before. She first met Namajunas in late 2017, succumbing to a first-round knockout and losing her title in the process, then lost a decision to the champion in an immediate rematch in early 2018.

She met Zhang in 2020, losing a razor-close unanimous decision to the Chinese star in one of the year’s best fights.

Having watched Namajunas and Zhang’s recent rematch, she has renewed interest in running it back with both women.

“I’m happy for Rose Namajunas,” she said. “Both of them, they put on a hell of a performance, hell of a fight, and I’m happy for both of them, and I can’t wait to step into the Octagon with one of them and put on a hell of a fight again.

“It just motivates me to work harder than before.”

Jedrzejczyk hasn’t fought since her 2020 decision loss to Zhang, but told the Post that she intended to fight again in March or April of 2022.