Joanna Jedrzejczyk Could Be the Strawweight Division’s Ronda Rousey

By Adam Martin

So far, it’s been nothing but a smooth ride in the UFC for women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The Pole has gone 3-0 in her first three appearances inside the Octagon. In her debut fight in the weight class, she beat Juliana Lima by decision, which, as we’ve learned over time, is actually a pretty good win.

It was followed by a controversial split decision win over Claudia Gadelha, a competitive fight no doubt, but one where Jedrzejczyk found a way to win on the judges’ scorecards to earn a title shot. And with that title shot, she took her game to a whole other level in her knockout win over Carla Esparza at UFC 185, a monumental win that earned her the title.

This weekend at UFC Fight Night 69, Jedrzejczyk makes her UFC main event debut when she takes on former Invicta champ Jessica Penne. Oddsmakers have “Double J” listed as a 7-to-1 favorite – in other words, she’s supposed to win this fight handily and have no problems at all with Penne, a solid fighter to be sure, but also a fighter who previously fought at 105 lbs, whereas Jedrzejczyk previously fought at 125 lbs.

If Jedrzejczyk wins this fight against Penne like expected – and if she does so in devastating fashion – she’ll quickly jump on to the short list of the best pound-for-pound female fighters in the world, a list which UFC Women’s Bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey reigns atop. In fact, if Jedrzejczyk dispatches Penne with the ease the odds are indicating, she’ll likely start being considered the Rousey of 115 lbs. And it will be very deserved.

Like Rousey, Jedrzejczyk is undefeated in her career, and she has finished a number of her opponents. Sure, she hasn’t been taking them out via first-round armbar like Rousey has for the most part, but she’s been doing great, and as far as 115-pound female fighters go, there really aren’t many in Jedrzejczyk’s realm – and it’s hard to see any getting to her level in the next few years.

The thing is, it’s not just Jedrzejczyk’s game that’s comparable to Rousey – it’s also her personality. Like the women’s bantamweight champ, Jedrzejczyk is extremely cocky and brash. She knows she’s a great fighter, and she doesn’t try to hide that fact. Instead, she relishes her personality, and combined with her aggressive, fan-friendly fighting style, she’s destined to go places in her career.

If the champ beats Penne, the list of title challengers for her – just like Rousey – is short. There’s Randa Markos, who lost to Penne in her UFC debut and is making huge strides in her career, but who isn’t ready yet. There’s Rose Namajunas out there, but she needs a few wins before she’s in the title talks. Tecia Torres is good, but needs to prove herself to be elite. Esparza could earn a rematch, but only with a few more wins. Of course the winner of Jessica Aguilar vs. Gadelha at UFC 190 will be in the mix, but if it’s Gadelha who wins, that fight, does anyone really think she’d beat Jedrzejczyk in a five-round rematch? It’s hard to say.

Anything can happen in MMA, and Jedrzejczyk has holes in her game that she needs to clean up, but overall she’s an extremely dangerous fighter, and given the opposition she has to face at 115 lbs, it’s very likely she’ll continue to win and be a dominant champion in the vein of Rousey. And in an era that features a lack of notable stars, that’s exactly what the UFC is looking for. Now, let’s see if Jedrzejczyk can live up to the hype, which all starts with a big win over Penne.