Jedrzejczyk’s return: Can she turn it around?
There was a time that JJ seemed as though she was unbeatable and this has happened many times in UFC and I would say even more so in the women's division. Remember a lady named Rhonda Rousey and how no one could even come close to defeating her? It was just a foregone conclusion that she was going to win? It wasn't a question of "if" it was just "how." Yet that all changed one day and after 2 losses she walked away from the sport for good.
The same can be said of Amanda Nunes and also Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who I will refer to as "JJ" from this point forward because yeah, I am definitely copy/pasting that surname every time it appears.
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JJ looked unstoppable right from the start of her rise in the UFC ranks and it came as no surprise that she captured the Strawweight title with relative ease. With 8 consecutive victories from 2014 to 2017 made it appear as though no one could possibly defeat JJ. Then perhaps she got too cocky and Rose came along and defeated her twice.
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Once by a shocking 1st round TKO and the other by decision. JJ hasn't really regained her composure since then and has had a mixed bag of results since late 2018. Basically, if you have heard of the person that she was fighting against, she lost.
The worst or at least most gruesome defeat coming at UFC 248 where Zhang Weili caused a hematoma that turned JJ into the elephant woman for several rounds.
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Despite this very quick buildup of blood in her forehead, the doctors and officials allowed it to go the full 5 rounds where JJ lost by decision.
This was nearly 2 years ago and the MMA world hasn't heard much out of the Polish star since then. She's been gone so long that she has been removed from the UFC rankings and I'm not going to pretend to understand why that is.... it's probably some sort of political thing.
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A far less mouthy JJ was at the press conference for the Covington v Masvidal PPV event where she was not at all arrogant but stated that she would only be interested in top-flight fights upon her return, which has not been announced yet but I'm guessing that since she was invited to speak to the press that this will likely be sometime soon. She expressed interest in fighting Rose, Zhang, or Carla Esparza. She made no mention of any other names. It seems likely to me that she will end up in a rematch with Zhang since Esparza deserves the next shot at the belt in the strawweight division.
I hope that JJ can return to form because when she was at her peak she was really amazing to see in her bouts. However, there have been a lot of fighters that after suffering a couple of brutal defeats never were able to return to form so it wouldn't really surprise me a great deal if she fails in this endeavor.
Got any thoughts?
Cant believe that is the same women with the swollen face doing the interview. I know I would root for her just on looks lol but those don't win fights. I do think being on the back end of some beatings will way heavily in any fight she has as that is just natural. Who knows one more and maybe it is time to hang up the gloves permanently.
I can't even imagine what it is like to "come back" after years of inactivity. It is probably more stressful that just continuing to fight and even losing. JJ must think she still has a chance at the top level otherwise she wouldn't have taken so much time off.
When she decided to get a boob job, I knew it was the beginning of the end.
I think she should go to WWE, she would have a great career there, as a bad girl entertainer. She is now more a Instagram celebrity than a fighter, even if she still trains, it would be a much smarter move in her career.
Once the hunger is gone, after these battles, you aren't the same person anymore.
Don't misunderstand me, I think she had the best striking game with Shevschenko, even better than Rose, but it's just the natural life of a fighter, the time to hang the gloves always come.
When you start asking "when is my next vacation" instead of "when is my next fight?", you know it is tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime (Buffer's voice) 😄
I think she is too small for WWE, even for a woman but who knows. Rhonda doesn't seem to mind it so much. I guess it is a lot better to get a pretty big paycheck and much less of a chance of injury. Plus you already know if you are going to win or lose.
JJ's next fight will be very telling, that is for sure. You mention the hunger and if she doesn't still have it, you are correct, she will be done.
man i don't even really follow this sport but that face with the "elephant woman" as you describe it.... I can't believe they let the fight continue
There was a lot of controversy created about that and how sometimes the organization let fights go longer because of the fact that it is a main event. Doctor's stoppages became a lot more prevalent after this fight and many people think that it should have been stopped long before it was. However, it was JJ in this situation that said she wanted to continue and pleaded with the doctors to allow her to continue.
It isn't up to the ref to stop a fight because someone is all bashed up, this is a call for the ring doctor.