UFC 275: Joanna Jedrzejczyk hopes to be remembered as ‘one of the greatest’, as fans wait behind at arena to hail retiring legend
- Polish former champ retires after suffering a brutal KO loss to China’s Zhang Weili on Sunday in Singapore
- Jedrzejczyk says she ‘knew it was over’ before she hit the canvas, and now plans to ‘fully enjoy life’
Joanna Jedrzejczyk knew retirement was a possibility heading into UFC 275.
The former strawweight champion returned to action on the event’s main card on Sunday morning in Singapore, taking on China’s Zhang Weili. It was her first fight since March of 2020, when she lost a decision to Zhang in one of the best fights of all time.
“I had [retirement] in the back of my head,” the 34-year-old Polish star admitted at the event’s post-fight press conference. “I’ve been in this business 19 years.”
When Jedrzejczyk suffered a brutal second-round knockout against her Chinese rival – the product of a spinning back-fist – she knew it was time to call it a career.
“I saw [myself] getting closer to the mat,” she said, recounting the moment she crashed into the canvas. “I really heard a buzz ringing in my head.
“I knew I was KO’d, and I was like, ‘OK, it’s all over, don’t hurry [to your feet] because you’re going to fall’,” she added. “I knew it was over. She got me good.”
Jedrzejczyk (16-5) made no excuses for her loss to Zhang (22-3), likely due in part to the fact that she no longer has to worry about where she will land in the strawweight pecking order.
