UFC Fight Night 69 Preview: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Penne
UFC Fight Night 69 is set to go down this Saturday (June 20, 2015) from Berlin, Germany as newly crowned women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzeczyk will put her title on the line for the first time against Jessica Penne. The Polish striker surprised many when she battered and dominated former champion Carla Esparza to steal the belt at UFC 185 in March, but she may have a tough test in front of her in the former Invicta FC champion Penne.
Both are undoubtedly two of the best 115-pounders on the planet, and it should be an exciting contest in Germany. Take a look at the LowKickMMA Joanna Jedrzeczyk vs. Jessica Penne breakdown here:
Striking
This area is clear-cut in favor of the champion. Jedrzeczyk is known primarily for her striking, and may very well be the best striker in the division, as she showed in her most recent title bout, landing numerous big shots on Esparza. Three of her nine wins have come by way of knockout and she lands an impressive 3.49 significant strikes per minute as opposed to the challenger’s 1.94.
A glaring stat in this area is that Penne only boasts a 20.00 defense rating as opposed to the champion’s 80.85. Overall, Jedrzeczyk throws the more fluent, and crisp combinations, and if Penne’s defense is not on point, I expect the champion to piece her up on the feet. 65-35 Jedrzeczyk.
Takedowns
This is a hard area to call for me. Penne is clearly the better offensive wrestler, landing 2.34 takedowns per contest as opposed to Jedrzeczyk’s zero takedowns per contest. The challenger also lands just under half of her attempts with a 42.86% accuracy rating.
However, I just don’t see here dragging the champion to the canvas. The Polish striker boasts a super impressive 80.85 takedown defense rating, and was able to stuff almost all of Esparza’s takedowns when the two met, with Esparza being one of the best wrestler’s in the division. For that reason, I have to call it even. 50-50.
Submissions
Despite the fact that I said Penne will have trouble taking Jedrzeczyk down, if she does perhaps land a takedown on the champion, the grappling advantage undoubtedly goes to the challenger. Penne is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and seven of her 12 wins have come by way of submission. Jedrzeczyk has no formal rank in jiu-jitsu, but does own one submission win to her name.
Although I believe she will be able to keep the fight on the feet, if the action ends up on the mat, the champion may find herself in some trouble. Penne is simply the more experienced and more decorated grappler. 60-40 Penne.
Well, it seems as if we have a closer fight than some may believe. A fight that could play out in many different ways depending on where it ends up. Who are you taking in this one?
