Joanna Jedrzejczyk Says Strawweight Division Needs Her
Joanna Jedrzejczyk will return to the strawweight division on October 12 in the main event of UFC San Francisco. There, she will take on the surging contender, Michelle Waterson.
Before the fight was announced, it was speculated as to whether or not Jedrzejczyk would return to her former division, in which she was once queen. She last competed at flyweight and fought for the belt, but after months of thinking, she realized a return to 115 pounds made the most sense. Especially with how much the strawweight division needs her.
“They all need me. When I lost to Rose [Namajunas], look how many girls called me out. They all want to fight me because I’m a big name,” Jedrzejczyk said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “But now I’m going to headline the show in San Francisco with Michelle Waterson because we both are worth it. We mean a lot to the UFC. I’m thankful to the UFC for giving me another chance.
“They want to fight me because I’m a big name. I can open the door for money and big business. That’s not my way to do that. You never heard me calling out someone — never ever.”
The former champion last fought back in the division when she lost back-to-back fights to then-champion, Rose Namajunas, in November 2017 and April 2018. But, with Jessica Andrade now the champion, it makes all the sense in the world for her to go back down as, if she beats Waterson, she could very well get a title shot.
Do you think the strawweight division needs Joanna Jedrzejczyk?
