One of the best women’s MMA fighters ever will be hanging up the gloves.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the former UFC women’s strawweight champion, announced her retirement Saturday following a knockout loss to Zhang Weili at UFC 275 in Singapore. Jedrzejczyk was in line for a title shot if she beat Zhang but was caught by a spinning back fist that put her out in the second round.
After the fight, Jedrzejczyk took off her gloves and told UFC analyst Daniel Cormier in her postfight interview that she would be retiring.
“It’s been 20 years,” she said. “I’m turning 35 this year. I want to be a mom. I want to be a businesswoman. I’ve been training more than half of my life. I love you guys.”
Jedrzejczyk (16-5) held the UFC women’s strawweight title from 2015 to 2017, a span of five successful title defenses, which is still the most in division history. The first Poland-born UFC champion is tied with current champion Carla Esparza for the most wins in division history (10), has the most title fights in strawweight history (nine) and has the most title-fight victories ever in the division (six).
Jedrzejczyk last fought at UFC 248 in March 2020, a loss to Zhang via split decision in what has been called the greatest women’s MMA fight of all time. She will finish with a 10-5 UFC record. Jedrzejczyk quickly won the hearts of UFC fans after debuting in 2014 with her charisma and striking-based fighting style. The multiple-time Muay Thai world champion beat Esparza for the title at UFC 185 in March 2015.
Even before that bout and winning the belt, she told American fans who could not pronounce her last name that they can just call her “Joanna Champion.” In the near future, she’ll likely have to change her fight nickname to “Joanna UFC Hall of Famer,” because she is destined for a spot there.