"This girl was massive from jump street" - Chael Sonnen compares Joanna Jedrzejczyk's rise to stardom with Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar
Chael Sonnen has compared Joanna Jedrzejczyk's rise to stardom in the UFC with those of two of the most popular stars in the promotion's history - Brock Lesnar and Conor McGregor. Sonnen feels that just like Lesnar and McGregor, Jedrzejczyk too achieved instant stardom in the world of combat sports upon joining the UFC.
Sonnen said that the former women's strawweight champion has always been an inspiring mixed martial artist because of her sheer willingness to compete and leave her all inside the octagon every time she fights. In a recently shared video on his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster' said:
"I'm sharing for you, this girl was massive from jump street. You can talk about how Conor McGregor rose up the ranks fast, you could talk about how fast Brock did it. If you're gonna tell the story of instant stardom and you leave Joanna out, you have lost credibility. She is awesome...Ii admire her so much and you want to know what she does and always has done that I wish I could? She competes, she competes no matter what."
Watch the video below:
The 34-year-old took the UFC by storm since making her debut back in 2014. She went on to become the strawweight champion in just her third fight inside the cage and went on to defend the title five times before finally losing to Rose Namajunas at UFC 217.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk calls time on fighting career after being knocked out cold at UFC 275
Joanna Jedrzejczyk ran it back with Zhang Weili at the recently concluded UFC 275 pay-per-view event. The pair previously fought each other for the strawweight title back in 2020 and the matchup turned out to be a barnburner which Weili took via decision after five rounds.
This time around, it was a three-round main card scrap and the fight didn't disappoint. Weili mixed up striking with pressure wrestling to dominate the fight and establish herself as the aggressor from the beginning. In the second round, the Chinese fighter landed a perfectly timed spinning backfist which knocked the Polish fighter out cold.
Joanna Knocked OUT and RETIRED!!! What a legend!!! #UFC275 https://t.co/NTl9R1X3MJ
Following the fight, Joanna Jedrzejczyk shocked the entire MMA community by announcing her retirement. During her post-fight octagon interview, Jedrzejczyk said:
"Guys, I love life so much. I will join DC’s [Daniel Cormier] league. I’m retired, guys. I love you so much. Thank you for the support."
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Joanna Jędrzejczyk has just retired.
#UFC275 Thank you JJ. 🇵🇱🤍❤️ https://t.co/AbcTu8Gper