Den forne stråviktsmästarinnan i UFC, Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-1), hade en minst sagt jobbig bantning inför hennes senaste titelmatch. Jedrzejczyk skulle försvara sitt stråviktsbälte mot Rose Namajunas, och Jedrzejczyk var storfavorit att vinna matchen. Så blev inte fallet, polskan förlorade matchen genom teknisk knockout redan i rond ett och ansågs vara en av 2017s största skrällar i MMA-världen.
Men det många inte visste var Jedrzejczyks tuffa bantning inför titelmatchen. Enligt polskan hade hon hela 6,8 kilo att gå ned på mindre än 14 timmar. Hon diskuterade sin senaste match med MMA-reporter Ariel Helwani och menade att företaget ’Perfecting Athletes’ bär ansvaret för hennes viktfiasko. Tanken var att Jedrzejczyk skulle ligga runt matchvikt några dagar innan match men istället vägde hon ca. 58 kilo (130 lbs), 14 timmar innan invägning.
Man, I felt so bad, I had to cut 15 pounds in 14 hours. I did it in 14 hours. I think Perfecting Athletes couldn’t believe that I did that. I start my weight cut at 5 pm on Thursday and I was on weight five minutes before 11 am on Friday, so it was a miracle. I was praying to God for this miracle. And it happened. I took this mentally. I was crying, I was so weak but I believed it. I said to one of the Perfecting Athletes team, ‘Hey, it’s a shame for a champion to not make her weight’, and then I made it — a thing I couldn’t believe.
After the weigh-ins, I had only fluids and I went to bed because I took just two 15-minute naps during the weight cut. The thing is, my legs got numb after I woke up. I said to my doctor, ‘Hey, my legs are numb’, and she said, ‘nothing to worry about, we’re going to hydrate you more’ and ‘you’re going to be fine’. But the next day, I felt the same and thought the most crazy things. I took the fight mentally. I wanted to go into the fight and push away all of the worries. Like I said, I could’ve gone to the doctor and got an IV, but I was worried that they were going to cancel my fight. I couldn’t do that to my fans. I’m a real warrior. And if people want to believe they can believe. If not, I will prove them wrong. I’m still the champion.
They [Perfecting Athletes] were like family, you know. I trusted them so much and I paid the ultimate cost for someone’s mistake. They agreed with me. We sat and talked on Monday after the fight and they agreed with me that they made a mistake, but I paid the ultimate price. I was light in this camp. I was like 127 on the Friday and Saturday a week before the fight. We were planning to get me to 125 by Tuesday, but my weight went up on Sunday to 130 and I couldn’t drop the weight for three or four days. I did everything that I could, and it’s their mistake. I started my weight cut with the limit at 130, so it was almost impossible to make that weight.
Jedrzejczyks mål var att vara en dominant mästarinna med fler titelförsvar än Ronda Rousey (6 stycken), men de planerna grusades när Rose Namajunas erövrade titeln. Den forne stråviktsmästarinnan kommer få ännu en chans mot Namajunas. Returmötet planeras att äga rum under UFC 223 den 7:e april i år.
