UFC 248: Joanna Jedrzejczyk says Zhang Weili is not fit to be champion before heated face-off
- Strawweight champion and challenger clash in Las Vegas as Jedrzejczyk lets fly with stream of threats and a promise that ‘I’ll make you quit’
- Zhang tells the former champion loudly to ‘shut up’ – and Jedrzejczyk responds ‘I’ll shut your mouth with my fists’
Joanna Jedrzejczyk knows what it means to be a UFC champion, having defended the strawweight belt five times during her two-and-a-half-year reign over the division.
The Polish fighter said she had watched current title-holder Zhang Weili closely – and she doesn’t believe the Chinese fighter has what it takes to hold on to the crown.
“I was there. I made it,” said Jedrzejczyk, during UFC 248 Media Day. “She’s going to have her first defence. When you are fighting for the best organisation in the world, the top five are the best fighters from all over the world so she’s going to have to learn. She’s the champ, I’m impressed … but she hasn’t faced someone like me.”
The fourth-ranked Jedrzejczyk (16-3) takes on Zhang (20-1) for the strawweight title as the co-headline event at UFC 248 on Saturday. On Thursday, the Polish fighter tried to work her way under her opponent’s skin.
As the pair met for the official face-offs, Jedrzejczyk let fly with a constant stream of threats and warnings, and a promise that “I will make you quit”.