Joanna Jedrzejczyk Defends Ronda Rousey
UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczy can break former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s successful title defense record in her next fight.
Despite the history making moment in front of her, the strawweight queen is willing to defend Rousey against her detractors.
“I know that Ronda Rousey is one of the greatest athletes in this sport,” Jedrzejczyk told MMA Junkie Radio. “And I don’t believe that she was focused more on the movies, and the commercials (and) photo shoots, than on training. I don’t believe that, because she became an Olympian medalist when she was very young, and I know that she knows what hard work means. So, I don’t think people should blame her for that. It just happened. MMA is a beautiful sport, but anything can happen. One fight, one submission, can finish the fight. And the same thing could’ve happened in my last fight, or in the past, or it might happen in my next fight.”
Rousey hasn’t competed since being on the wrong end of a knockout against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.
Jedrzejczyk wants the MMA fans to known that just being a UFC champion is tough, no matter which belt a fighter holds.
“It’s not easy to become a UFC champion, it’s not easy to defend the title, or become a rich person, or a popular person,” Jedrzejczyk said. “But the thing is to deal with it. I hope that I’m going to stay humble. I’m going to take this seriously, because I have a good life. I have good people around me. But still, the work in the gym is the most important. Because at the end of the day, people want to see me in good shape during the fight, not on the cover of magazines, not at the commercials. I want to be remembered as one of the best and greatest fighters and athletes from Poland, not as a celebrity, or person from the covers or photo shoots. I like to do that – I like my media and sponsorship obligations, but when it’s time for it, I do this. And I believe that Ronda did this the same way. People cannot say that, because they don’t know the truth. Only she knows.”
While Jedrzejczyk is going to return to action inside of the Octagon one day, the same cannot be said for her bantamweight counterpart.
