Joanna Jędrzejczyk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joanna Jędrzejczyk |
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Jędrzejczyk in 2022
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| Born | Joanna Jędrzejczyk August 18, 1987 Olsztyn, Poland |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Weight | 115 lb (52 kg; 8 st 3 lb) |
| Division | Kickboxing: Super bantamweight Featherweight MMA: Strawweight (2014–2018, 2019–2022) Flyweight (2012–2014, 2018) |
| Reach | 65+1⁄2 in (166 cm) |
| Style | Muay Thai, Kickboxing |
| Fighting out of | Olsztyn, Poland |
| Team | Team Mr. Perfect (2008–2010) Berkut Arrachion Olsztyn (2012–2016) American Top Team (2016–2022) |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Artur Wasilevski |
| Years active | 2012–2022 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 30 |
| Wins | 27 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 21 |
| Wins | 16 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 11 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Amateur Muay Thai record | |
| Total | 40 |
| Wins | 37 |
| Losses | 3 |
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last updated on: June 13, 2022
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Joanna Jędrzejczyk (born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist, Muay Thai fighter, and kickboxer. She is famous for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Joanna holds many records in the UFC. She was a UFC Women's Strawweight Champion. She successfully defended her title five times. She also had eight wins in a row in the strawweight division. Joanna was the first champion from Poland and the first female European champion in the UFC.
Many experts, like Daniel Cormier, call her the greatest female strawweight fighter ever. They say she made the weight class popular.
Joanna started Muay Thai as a teenager. She won six medals, including five gold, at the IFMA World Muaythai Championships. She also held several kickboxing titles. In May 2012, she switched to mixed martial arts (MMA). She won her first nine fights without losing.
In March 2015, Joanna won the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. She beat Carla Esparza at UFC 185. For the next two years, she kept winning and defended her title five times. She fought tough opponents like Jessica Penne, Cláudia Gadelha, and Jéssica Andrade.
Joanna had her first MMA loss in November 2017. She lost her championship to Rose Namajunas. After losing a rematch to Namajunas, Joanna beat Tecia Torres. She then tried fighting in a heavier division, flyweight, but lost to Valentina Shevchenko in December 2018.
After returning to strawweight and beating Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Joanna faced the new champion, Zhang Weili, in March 2020. She lost a very close fight that many called the best women's MMA fight ever. After a two-year break, Joanna retired from MMA in June 2022. This was after losing a rematch against Zhang. She said she wanted to be a mom and a businesswoman.
Contents
Muay Thai and Kickboxing Journey
Joanna found Muay Thai when she was 16 years old. She started it for fitness. This led her to compete in big tournaments in Poland and Europe.
She competed in Muay Thai and kickboxing for 10 years. She won over 60 matches. As an amateur, she won six IFMA world medals. Five of these were gold, and one was silver. She also won four IFMA European championships. Her amateur record was 37 wins and 3 losses.
As a professional, Joanna won five world titles. These included the WKN World Championship and the WMC Championship. Her professional record was 27 wins and 3 losses.
Starting Mixed Martial Arts
First Fights
Joanna started her professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career on May 19, 2012. She fought Sylwia Juskiewicz and won by a unanimous decision. This means all judges agreed she won.
On December 8, 2012, she won against Lily Kazak. She used a move called a rear naked choke to make her opponent give up. In June 2013, she beat Julia Berezikova, who was a top Russian fighter at the time.
By July 2013, Joanna was ranked among the top women's flyweight fighters in the world. On June 7, 2014, she won against Rosi Sexton by knockout in the second round.
Joining the UFC
Joanna officially joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in July 2014. She started fighting in the strawweight division. Her first UFC fight was on July 26, 2014, against Juliana Lima. She won this fight by unanimous decision.
Next, Joanna faced Cláudia Gadelha in December 2014. Gadelha was a top undefeated fighter. Joanna won by a split decision, meaning the judges were not all in agreement. Some people thought Gadelha should have won.
Becoming Strawweight Champion
Joanna fought Carla Esparza for the UFC Strawweight Championship on March 14, 2015. This was at UFC 185. Joanna won easily by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the second round. She became the first UFC champion from Poland. She was also the first female European UFC champion. For her great performance, she earned a "Performance of the Night" bonus.
Joanna's first time defending her title was against Jessica Penne on June 20, 2015. This fight was in Berlin, Germany. She successfully defended her title by TKO in the third round. Both fighters received "Fight of the Night" awards. Joanna had to have surgery on her thumb after this fight.
For her second title defense, Joanna fought Valérie Létourneau on November 15, 2015. She won by unanimous decision and kept her title. In this fight, Joanna landed 220 "significant strikes," which was a record for a championship fight. She also landed 70 leg kicks, which was the most in UFC history at that time.
In 2016, Joanna became a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 23. Her opposing coach was Cláudia Gadelha. They had a rematch on July 8, 2016. Joanna won again by unanimous decision and defended her title. Both fighters earned "Fight of the Night" awards.
Joanna defended her title for the fourth time against fellow Pole Karolina Kowalkiewicz. She won by unanimous decision at UFC 205 in November 2016. This was a big event at Madison Square Garden.
On May 13, 2017, Joanna faced Jéssica Andrade at UFC 211. She won by unanimous decision, defending her title for the fifth time. Joanna set new records in this fight for the most significant strikes landed in a UFC championship fight (225). She also had the biggest difference in strikes landed (142).
For her sixth title defense, Joanna fought Rose Namajunas on November 4, 2017. This was a big surprise. Joanna lost the fight by knockout in the first round. This was her first professional loss in MMA.
After Losing the Title
Joanna had a rematch with Rose Namajunas on April 7, 2018. She lost again by unanimous decision.
On July 28, 2018, Joanna fought Tecia Torres. She won this fight by unanimous decision.
Trying a New Weight Class
On December 8, 2018, Joanna moved up to flyweight. She fought Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant UFC Women's Flyweight Championship. Joanna lost this fight by unanimous decision.
Back to Strawweight
Joanna returned to the strawweight division on October 12, 2019. She fought Michelle Waterson-Gomez. Joanna won the fight by unanimous decision.
On March 7, 2020, Joanna faced Zhang Weili for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. She lost a very close fight by split decision. This fight won the "Fight of the Night" award. Many experts called it the greatest fight in women's MMA history.
Joanna and Zhang had a rematch on June 11, 2022. Joanna lost the fight by knockout in the second round. After the fight, Joanna announced her retirement from MMA. She said she wanted to be a mom and a businesswoman. In March 2024, it was announced that Joanna will join the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2024.
Fighting Style and Training
Joanna Jędrzejczyk is known for her very precise and planned striking. She uses a style called "sprawl-and-brawl" in MMA. This means she tries to stay standing and avoid being taken to the ground.
When she is standing, she uses many different punches, body shots, knees, and elbows. She also uses high front kicks. She often throws many strikes quickly to confuse her opponent before landing a strong hit.
Joanna is usually calm and friendly with her fans. But before fights, she often uses "trash-talk" to get into her opponents' heads. Her fights are known for being exciting and intense. UFC president Dana White has called her "bad ass" and one of the best female fighters.
Experts praise Joanna's "sprawl-and-brawl" style. They say her striking technique is excellent. Since 2016, Joanna has trained at American Top Team in Florida. In 2021, she earned a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Personal Life
Joanna Jędrzejczyk is Catholic. She prays with a rosary before she enters the fighting area.
She was engaged to a former Polish football player, Przemysław Buta. In 2019, she shared that they were no longer engaged.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kobiety mafii 2 (Women of Mafia 2) | Inmate |
Major Achievements
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Hall of Fame (Class of 2024)
- UFC Women's Strawweight Champion (One time)
- She successfully defended her title five times.
- First champion from Poland in UFC history.
- First female European UFC champion.
- Received "Performance of the Night" bonus one time.
- Received "Fight of the Night" bonus three times.
- Tied for the second most wins in UFC Women's Strawweight history (10 wins).
- Holds the longest winning streak in UFC Women's Strawweight history (8 wins).
- Her fight against Zhang Weili in 2020 was named "Fight of the Year" by many groups.
Kickboxing
- J-Girls Kickboxing Federation
- 2009 J-Girls World Featherweight Champion
- World Budokai Federation
- 2013 WBKF Pro Title
- World Kickboxing Federation
- 2010 WKF European Champion
Muay Thai
- IFMA World Championships
- Won Gold Medal five times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
- Won Silver Medal one time (2008)
- IFMA European Championships
- Won European Champion three times (2008, 2012)
- World Muaythai Council
- WMC/EMF European Champion (one time)
- World Kickboxing Network
- 2010 WKN Muay Thai World -57 kg Champion (one time)
Images for kids
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Jędrzejczyk in 2022
See also
In Spanish: Joanna Jędrzejczyk para niños
- List of female mixed martial artists
- List of UFC champions
