Michelle Waterson Staying Ready In Case Joanna Jedrzejczyk Makes Weight
Waterson, who reportedly won’t fight Jedrzejczyk if she misses weight, is staying ready in case Jedrzejczyk does make weight.
“Ask Joanna – I’m ready to fight,” Waterson said to MMA Fighting. “I heard that Joanna was having trouble making weight and that she wanted to renegotiate the contract at 120 [pounds]. I took this fight under the assumption that we were both in contention for the strawweight belt, and to me, that’s a very serious undertaking. There’s only a couple things you have to do as a fighter, and one of them is make weight. I know Joanna’s super professional, (and) she’s never not made weight before. My intention is to fight for the strawweight belt—not for the flyweight belt, not for the featherweight belt. The 115 belt. That being said, I’m here. I’m cutting weight. I’m ready to fight on Saturday. I honestly don’t know what’s going on with Joanna and her camp, and I’m staying focused. I’m letting my management team figure out the rest.”
Jedrzejczyk has yet to miss weight during her UFC run, which began back at UFC On Fox 12 in July of 2014.
While it is still possible that Jedrzejczyk cam make or miss weight for the event, one thing Waterson isn’t worrying about at the moment is the variables surrounding the fight.
“I’m here to fight Joanna on Saturday,” she said. “I’ll be honest with you, what is making weight? If she comes in at the allowed 116, that’s making weight—117, 118, OK, and then I don’t know. It’s too much for me to wrap my head around. I’d rather focus on fighting her on Saturday, because that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 10 weeks. That’s where my head’s at.”
UFC Fight Night Tampa takes place on Saturday, October 12 from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
