‘Angry’ Joanna Jedrzejczyk Sounds Off On UFC 230 Main Event

It’s hardly a surprise Joanna Jedrzejczyk sounds off on the UFC 230 main event.

The former UFC’s women’s strawweight champion was supposed to be headed for a women’s flyweight title bout with Valentina Shevchenko. Those plans were put on hold because of another decision. The UFC announced yesterday that Shevchenko would take on Sijara Eubanks in the main event of November 3’s UFC 230.

It was a strange booking that left many scratching their heads in disbelief. Joe Rogan admitted he didn’t even know who Eubanks was. As expected, UFC President Dana White was quick to defend the promotion’s decision.

The card from Madison Square Garden already has Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier in the co-main event. It was rumored to showcase Jon Jones‘ return against Alexander Gustafsson. But in the end, fans were left with a women’s title fight that was arguably not even the best fight the new division had to offer.

Jedrzejczyk Responds

Jedrzejczyk is not happy. She recently posted a response to the booking on Instagram. In it, she revealed that she was both shocked and angry to learn of the fight. It got worse when she found out about it through journalists.

She also revealed that she had supposedly signed on to fight Shevchenko at UFC 231 in December.

“Me pulling out of fight? Never! Here is the truth. Yesterday I was informed that my fight had been cancelled. Unfortunately, I received this news from journalists, I was very shocked. I feel angry and sad. The already signed contract on the 8th of December was ignored.”

Jedrzejczyk admitted the UFC was trying to get her to fight earlier. But this wouldn’t have allowed her to prepare to the best of her abilities due to the time crunch. Jedrzejczyk wanted to be sure she was at her best because Shevchenko is an elite opponent:

“They were trying to persuade me into taking the fight in November, at the same time depriving me of a chance to properly prepare for the fight during the camp. Valentina is a challenging opponents, and my goal was (and actually still is) to prepare for this fight as best I can, and to eventually become the UFC flyweight champion. I treat every opponent and fight serious and with respect.”

Not Just About The Payday

The onetime dominant women’s strawweight champ detailed how she could have rushed into the fight to make a quick check. She wants to be at her best, and taking the fastest payday was not the best course of action as a result:

“I could fight in NY if I was interested only in money. Due to respect for other fighters and myself, I rejected the offer made by the UFC to change the date of the fight, as my main goal is to be at my best form during the fight, and in order to do that, I have to do my job from start to finish.

“For 15 years I’ve been focused only on development, sportsmanship at the highest level and achieving my dreams.”

Finally, even though she was upset, Jedrzejczyk admitted she could understand the UFC’s decision. The former ‘Joanna Champion’ calmly stated she would bide her time and eventually become champion. And not just in one weight class, but two:

“I always try to put myself in somebody else’s situation, be it a life or business one. Thus, I understand the quick decision made by the UFC key people to save the event in NYC. Everything happens for a reason. Sooner or later i’ll become the champ in two weight classes.””

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