What's next for Joanna Jedrzejczyk? (Opinion)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk fought an impressive five-round war against the current UFC Strawweight Champion, Zhang Weili. Despite the valiant effort, Joanna failed to capture the gold. However, she put up a performance that will be remembered for years to come. The fight will unarguably go down as one of the greatest fights in the history of mixed martial arts.
She has been away from social media ever since her loss against Weili Zhang. Joanna Jedrzejczyk has had it tough winning fights in the last couple of years, as she has lost 4 times in her last 6 fights inside the octagon. The former UFC Strawweight Champion has remained as the top prospect in whichever division she has competed. Jedrzejczyk won the Championship belt back in 2015 with a TKO win over Carla Esparza and would later go on to defend her championship belt five times inside the octagon.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk should face Jessica Andrade next
Joanna Jedrzejczyk put up an incredible performance against Weili Zhang. However, the former narrowly missed out on a victory against someone as credible as the reigning UFC Strawweight Champion. Rose Namajunas will likely take on Weili Zhang for the UFC Strawweight Championship. 'Thug Rose' picked up an impressive victory over former Champion Jessica Andrade at UFC 251.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is currently ranked #4 in the Strawweight rankings, while Jessica Andrade sits at #2. It will be an interesting match-up between two former champions. Both the fighters are coming off a loss. Andrade also lost to Weili Zhang in her first title defense back in August of 2019.
Both the fighters can determine who gets to fight for the championship belt next, and will likely decide the next opponent for undefeated Tatiana Suarez. UFC, in the meantime, could also be looking at booking Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Tatiana Suarez.
Suarez is currently ranked #3 in the UFC Strawweight rankings and is looking at a title opportunity next after win over Nina Ansaroff. Suarez is currently enjoying an 8 fight win-streak and remains undefeated in her MMA career. Joanna Jedrzejczyk could be her first real test ahead of capturing UFC Strawweight gold.
There are multiple options open for Joanna Jedrzejczyk going forward. Despite the recent losses, Jedrzejczyk remains a threat to the division. She has lost to the best that the division has to offer, and continues to be a tough challenger for every fighter in the division.