Ex-Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk reveals initial plans for 2023 return to UFC: ‘I was looking for a comeback’
Former undisputed strawweight champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk has revealed she was planning a stunning return from retirement this year in a return to the Octagon, however, saw initial plans for a UFC return scuppered by a long-standing injury.
Jedrzejczyk, a former undisputed strawweight champion and likely future Hall of Fame inductee, called time on her professional mixed martial arts career back in June of last year, following her second consecutive loss in a stunning spinning back-fist KO loss to former champion, Zhang Weili at UFC 274.
In the immediate aftermath of the pair’s rematch, Jedrzejczyk confirmed her decision to walk away from the sport with immediate effect, bringing down the curtain on a stunning, gold-laden professional career, which saw her boast a 16-5 record.
Since her retirement from the sport, Jedrzejczyk has, however, flirted with a potential comeback to the sport, and revealed this week that she was in line to make a return this year – returning to training at American Top Team before a significant injury suffered previously, nixed those plans.
“I was back to American Top Team in January, because I was looking for a comeback,” Joanna Jedrzejczyk told Cageside Press during a recent interview. “But I had a really bad injury, since 2020, and it got bad, very bad. So I had to go through the surgery. I have to do physio for the next five to nine months to get back to shape, to get back to any sport.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk holds the record for most strawweight title defenses
“I don’t want to be a coach, but i see myself helping and training with them,” Joanna Jedrzejczyk explained. “Because I will train forever and ever. I love this sport so much.”
Winning undisputed strawweight gold against two-time champion, Carla Esparza back in 2015 with a TKO finish, Jedrzejczyk would go on to rack up a slew of successful title defenses against Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau, Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Jessica Andrade.
