Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is taking a patient approach to reclaiming the division’s throne. Jedrzejczyk (16-4) was the strawweight queen from 2015 to 2017 and defended the belt a record-setting five times. After losing her title to Rose Namajunas (10-4), the Pole nearly reclaimed it in an all-out war with Zhang Weili (21-1) at UFC 248 in March, but lost via split decision. The 33-year-old briefly considered retirement, but ultimately decided to fight again – with the caveat it wouldn’t happen until she was able to get back to her training home, American Top Team in South Florida. Several weeks ago, she finally made her return to the Sunshine State. It was an energising experience and a promising sign for fans awaiting her comeback. “It was eight months away from American Top Team and I was happy to be back,” Jedrzejczyk told SCMP MMA not long after her four-and-a-half week trip to Florida concluded. “I was training very hard and I’m even more motivated to fight again. “I’m still feeling this fire. It’s crazy. My body, my mind is all ready to fight and train hard.” Pettis plans to be ‘face of PFL’; reveals Bellator, ONE interest Jedrzejczyk’s latest stint at ATT was not an official fight camp. However, the visit served as a solid warm-up and has the former champion feeling ready for another fight – although she’d prefer to wait until the UFC starts welcoming fans back to its shows. “It’s not going to happen any time soon because of the Covid situation,” she said. “I don’t see myself fighting without fans. “There’s no sport without fans. For me, it’s always extra motivation, an extra battery pack. Maybe I would, but I don’t want to, so I’ll just wait because I truly believe everything is going to be good again very soon.” Jedrzejczyk is also giving herself time to cross another item off her to-do list: negotiating a new contract. After her scrap with Zhang, which is widely considered the best fight of 2020, she feels she deserves a raise. “I’m planning to talk [to the UFC], maybe in January,” she said. “We put on a hell of a show and I deserve more money. I deserve a bigger piece of cake. I don’t want to complain like other fighters – I know there’s 500 athletes [on the roster] – but I feel like I’m a big part of this company.” Jedrzejczyk’s patient approach will also give the strawweight title picture some time to clear up. The expectation was Zhang would defend her title against Namajunas next. However, UFC president Dana White claimed this month Namajunas doesn’t want the fight and Carla Esparza (18-6) could be next in line for the opportunity. Jedrzejczyk isn’t sure what’s happening behind the scenes, but believes Namajunas has earned her shot. “I really believe Rose will be the next challenger for the strawweight title,” Jedrzejczyk said. “All respect to Carla Esparza – she made it to the league, she was the champ – but I feel like the top four in the strawweight division is different. “Maybe they’re trying to push [Namajunas], but she is a very smart human being and she’s going to make the right decision at the right time, and she’s next. I don’t want to say, ‘Who’s Carla Esparza?’ because I know who she is. I have tons of respect for her, but Rose is next.” If Zhang and Namajunas do end up fighting, Jedrzejczyk anticipates a very interesting fight and sees paths to victory for both women. “Rose is such a smart fighter – her reach, her distance, her footwork,” she said. “There is some power behind her punches. She proved that. She knocked me out. But Weili has character. She’s so strong. She’s always going forward. It’s going to be interesting.” Once that fight comes to pass, Jedrzejczyk is hopeful that she’ll be able to take on the winner. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannajedrzejczyk) “I’m just taking my time and it’s going to happen one day,” she said. “I don’t have to hurry. After I lost, I wanted to hurry to get the belt back, but not any more. “I’m patient. It’s going to come back, but everything has to be right. It’s not just about money. I used to do this for free – even pay for myself to go compete in world championships. “I feel like I lost my last fight because there is something better waiting for me, something bigger. I wait, I learn. I evolve every single day and I get better.”