5 reasons why Joanna Jedrzejczyk was right to announce her retirement
UFC 275, which went down this past weekend in Singapore, saw the end of an era of sorts when former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk decided to announce her retirement following her loss to Weili Zhang.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is undoubtedly a legend of the UFC’s strawweight division, but has she done the right thing in choosing to walk away from the octagon?
After an incredible career, Joanna Jędrzejczyk announces her retirement at #UFC275 👏 https://t.co/bHOzT8HN6w
It’s a debate that could go either way, but overall, the truth is that the Polish superstar has probably done the right thing.
With that in mind, here are five reasons why Joanna Jedrzejczyk was right to announce her retirement.
#5. Joanna Jedrzejczyk wants to ensure her future health by walking away
While MMA is usually billed as a “safer” sport than boxing, it’s probably safe to say that like any full-contact combat sport, it still takes its toll upon the body.
Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of examples of former UFC legends who ended up in a bad state after hanging onto their career in the octagon for a little too long. The sport is young enough that we may not yet know the full effects of an entire career in MMA, too.
However, it goes without saying that taking tons of strikes to the head, particularly if those strikes lead to outright knockouts, is no good for any fighter, particularly as they begin to get older.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk built her reputation on being one of the most fearsome strikers in the UFC, but it’s also safe to say that over the years, she’s taken a number of huge blows.
She was knocked out by Rose Namajunas in 2017, suffered bad knockdowns against both Valerie Letourneau and Karolina Kowalkiewicz in fights she went onto win, and took a ridiculous amount of damage in her first fight with Weili Zhang.
With that considered, then, and even ignoring any damage she may have taken during sparring sessions, it’s probably fair to suggest that it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to take many more major shots to the head, particularly after her scary knockout loss to Zhang this past weekend.
WALK OFF SPINNING BACKFIST FOR @MMAWEILI 🤯 #UFC275 https://t.co/dkuCZcIsYo
Therefore, it’s better for Jedrzejczyk’s future health that she’s chosen to walk away now.