Joanna Jedrzejczyk opens up on her decision to retire from mixed martial arts following UFC 275

Joanna Jedrzejczyk has weighed in on her decision to retire.

Jedrzejczyk shared the Octagon with Zhang Weili a second time at UFC 275 in Singapore this past Saturday night (June 11). In the second round, Joanna was slept by a spinning backfist.

After the fight, Jedrzejczyk took off her gloves and announced her retirement from MMA competition.

During the UFC 275 post-fight press conference, Joanna Jedrzejczyk said this was not a decision she had made before the fight (h/t MMAJunkie.com).

“No, it was just in the moment, but I’ve had it in the back of my head. Maybe there was one day, maybe like a year ago, if something happened I might retire because I’ve been in this business for the last 19 years. Lots of investments from myself. It’s time to fully enjoy my life. I approach so much and honestly I haven’t had the time to think about how big my legacy is. I’m a hard worker, and I always dedicated myself. I give as much as I can, and I get as much as I can in the same way, but now it’s time to fully enjoy it.”

There is little doubting the impact that Joanna made on the sport of MMA. Her dominant run at strawweight has yet to be replicated or surpassed. She is a surefire UFC Hall of Famer down the road.

She ends her pro MMA career with a record of 16-5. She successfully defended the UFC Strawweight Championship five times.

No one else in the UFC’s strawweight division has even had two straight successful title defenses. Rose Namajunas had two successful title defenses but that was split between two reigns.