Joanna Jedrzejczyk reveals previous relationship affected recent losses
Joanna Jedrzejczyk will collide against the current strawweight champion, Weili Zhang in the main event of UFC 248 on Saturday March 7, 2020. During an episode of UFC Unfiltered, the Polish fighter reflected on her time as the 115-pound titleholder and her relationship turmoil that impacted her eventual loss.
“Life of a single woman,” Jedrzejczyk laughed off as she described her current relationship status [transcript via MMA Fighting].
“People in Poland know more, but people in the states and worldwide, they don’t know much about my private life. The last two years were pretty difficult for me. It was a rough time, and I feel like 2019 is a special year, so I can’t wait for 2020.”
Her championship reign finished in explosive fashion when Jedrzejczyk faced Rose Namajunas in 2017. Namujanas finished her opponent by TKO in the first round and accomplished another victory in their 2018 rematch. Jedrzejczyk revealed some shocking revelations that she believes impacted her performances:
“I broke up with my fiance, and we broke up before my first fight with Rose Namajunas, and this terrible weight cut happened, and I broke up again. This year I found out that my [previous] manager messed up my money, and then I found out that my fiance was cheating on me.
“That girl called me; I think that she was afraid that I was going to beat her up so badly, but I was like, ‘No, I’m kidding.’ I just want to show to people and tell people that there’s always something going on in our lives. It doesn’t matter who you are. If your private life is not going in the right direction, you’re not going to be successful in the sport, or in the business.”
Despite faltering in her consecutive bouts against Namajunas and a 2018 loss to Valentina Shevchenko, the former champion has accomplished 14 straight wins and five successful title defences in her MMA career. Now, Jedrzejczyk will have the prime opportunity to vindicate her losses against the UFC’s first Chinese champion at UFC 248. According to Jedrzejczyk, her personal struggles add to life experience, and the true secret to success is happiness:
“This year was amazing, and I cannot wait for that coming 2020. Now I feel free. I feel me, I feel Joanna again. I’m more smart, I’m more experienced. Maybe shitty things happened in my life, but it has to happen somehow. I’m happy. I know what life is about now.
“When I turned 30, I thought I knew a lot and I had experienced a lot. I was broken in my life, so dedicated to the sport, losing my mind into the sport, working so hard. But that’s the difference – I’m happy now.”
Do you think that Joanna Jedrzejczyk will be able to return to her winning ways now that she is once again happy? Sound off in the comments section PENN Nation!
January 4, 2020
Topics:
Joanna Jedrzejczyk Weili Zhang
