UFC: Joanna Jedrzejczyk yet to sign new deal, but set to begin fight camp in Florida
- Former strawweight champ will head to American Top Team later this month to start preparations for long-awaited comeback
- Jedrzejczyk says she turned down offer to fight for title at end of 2022, and wants Zhang Weili rematch earlier in the year
Joanna Jedrzejczyk has claimed she turned down an offer to fight for the UFC strawweight title in late 2022 in the hopes of competing earlier in the year – potentially against China’s Zhang Weili – although sources told the Post she has yet to sign a new contract.
Jedrzejczjyk (16-4), who held the strawweight title from 2015-2017, has not fought since she lost a unanimous decision to Zhang in March 2020, failing to reclaim the division’s throne in the process.
“[UFC President] Dana [White] made me an offer to fight for the championship, but I would have to wait until November or December and I don’t want to wait,” the 34-year-old said during an appearance on the digital sports channel Kanal Sportowy in her native Poland. “I want to fight.”
In the midst of her hiatus, Jedrzejczyk divulged that she hopes to negotiate a more lucrative contract with the UFC before returning to the cage – “a bigger piece of cake” as she put it.
Despite not yet agreeing a new deal with the promotion, sources told the Post the former champion intends to return to her training home of American Top Team in South Florida later this month, with plans to kick-off a fight camp soon after.
UFC: Joanna to negotiate contract – ‘I deserve bigger piece of cake’
As Jedrzejczyk begins to plot her long-awaited comeback, she believes her former foil Zhang is the most suitable opponent available – particularly now that top strawweight contenders Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez are occupied with other bouts.
“Everyone thinks I’m not in the UFC any more,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I am, I just dropped out of the ranking, because I haven’t fought for a dozen or so months, but I’m coming back and fighting [the No. 1 contender]. It will probably be Zhang Weili.”
“I thought it might be Carla Esparza [next], but [it’s] confirmed that she is the next to fight the championship,” Jedrzejczyk added. “Somewhere there is Rodriguez, who also fights Yan [Xiaonan] in March, and [then it] becomes Zhang Weili.
“I don’t see any other fight. Just going for the belt.”
