UFC: Joanna Jedrzejczyk tells Zhang Weili ‘don’t think about’ Rose Namajunas KO, ‘start a new chapter’
- ‘When I faced Rose in the rematch, I feel like I didn’t believe enough in my victory,’ Jedrzejczyk admits
- Former strawweight champ sees Zhang rematch happening, but insists ‘there has to be big money’
Joanna Jedrzejczyk knows all too well how Zhang Weili will be feeling after the Chinese star surrendered her UFC strawweight title to Rose Namajunas.
The 33-year-old Pole ruled over the division from 2015 to 2017, tallying five defences. And just like Zhang’s, her reign ultimately came to a halt after a first-round knockout loss to the American “Thug”.
“We’re all different,” Jedrzejczyk told SCMP MMA. “We all deal with things totally differently – in life or sports situations. It’s not easy to lose the belt, but throw it away, Weili, and go for it. Just don’t think about it. Start a new chapter.”
After losing her title to Namajunas in 2017, Jedrzejczyk received an immediate shot at redemption in early 2018. While she performed much better in that rematch, she ultimately came up short again, losing a split decision.
“When I lost to Rose for the first time, I thought that I wasn’t holding the knockout in my head,” she said.