Joanna Jedrzejczyk showed why she’s a champion with another stunning performance, this time against Jessica Andrade at UFC 211 in Dallas on Saturday.
Jedrzejczyk controlled the pace of the 25-minute fight with her superior striking, retaining the UFC women’s strawweight title by earning the judges’ decision with scores of 50-45, 50-44 and 50-45.
Andrade started out strong, brawling with the champ from the get-go. She even got the champion down a couple times. Jedrzejczyk, however, did well to circle away and fight at distance.
From there, Jedrzejczyk landed a number of jabs, setting up several combinations that seemed to triple the output of her opponent. She added well-placed headkicks to round out her near-perfect offense.
To her credit, Andrade didn’t back down from the dominant champion. Even though she ate a number of shots, she kept moving forward and looking to land power punches in hopes of ending the bout. She wasn’t able to land a fight-ender, though, and Jedrzejczyk came away with yet another win to add her collection.
What was the highlight of the fight?
Jedrzejczyk’s ability to accurately measure her distance from Andrade was pivotal in her win over the challenger. It almost didn’t matter that Andrade was coming forward the whole time because Jedrzejczyk’s footwork was so good that she could time her strikes at the exact moment necessary, all while evading most damage.
As the championship rounds went on, Jedrzejczyk continued to show why she’s one of the most technical strikers in all of MMA. Andrade was visibly frustrated and it seemed there was little she could do to come out on top against an opponent who was difficult to hit, yet hit back so easily.
Where do these two go from here?
Jedrzejczyk remains on the top of the UFC’s women’s strawweight division. At this point, she’ll likely continue her dominance of the division, unless someone comes along to be a superior striker. Keep an eye on Rose Namajunas as the next foe to try her hands at slaying the queen.
Two years ago, Andrade was having a tough time at 135 pounds, going 4-3 in the UFC and worrying that she would be cut from the promotion. She decided to drop to the 115-pound division, which ended up being the best thing she could do at that point in her career. Her power is some of the best in the weight class, and a fight with Claudia Gadelha would be some quality MMA if matchmakers see fit to book it.
Watch now, later, or never?
Watching Jedrzejczyk do her thing is always worth your time, simply for the fact she brings technique and violence all at once.
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