Den före detta stråviktsmästarinnan Joanna Jedrzeczyk blev av med sin titel då hon förlorade mot Rose Namajunas via knockout under UFC 217. Efter det förlorade hon en andra gång mot Namajunas, denna gång via domslut under UFC 223. Sedan dess har Jedrzejczyk ett flertal gånger nämnt att hon själv är den bästa stråviktaren och valt att inte erkänna den nuvarande mästarinnan som den bättre av de två. Inför helgens gala, där han står i J.J. Aldrichs hörna, talade Namajunas pojkvän och tränare, Pat Barry, om situationen kring de två stråviktarna. Så som han ser det så har Jedrzejczyk endast att förlora på att inte acceptera sina förluster.
I think that Joanna is f*cking herself over by not accepting defeat. That’s why she lost to Valentina three times. Lost the first time, she got robbed. Lost the second time, she got robbed. Lost the third time. Knockout to Rose, wasn’t her fault. Lost a decision, wasn’t her fault. She wants to fight Rose again. She’s not going to be able to. It’s still going to be Rose. You can grow from losing. If you’re not going to grow from that, how are you going to get better? It’s not her fault that anything ever want wrong in her life. It’s everyone else’s fault but hers.
Barry nämner att han ser Jedrzejczyk som en fantastisk atlet men att hon inte förbättrats tillräckligt mycket sedan hon först vann titeln.
Honestly, as good as Joanna is — she’s a f*cking fantastic athlete, she’s a dominant athlete, one of the best female fighters to ever live, ever — if she accepted the responsibility for it, how much better would she get? How much better would she be if she accepted it, worked on making some changes? How much better would she be? But she’s been so dominant for so long, I don’t think she’s going to make any changes. If you think about it, when Joanna came out and fought Carla Esparza and beat Carla, that’s the same Joanna that fought Rose. She hasn’t advanced. She’s the same fighter. She hasn’t gotten better. Only thing is she’s gotten in better shape. She’s like Fedor. Fedor came out and killed everybody and no one could handle him for years and years and then eventually everyone caught up and figured him out, because Fedor didn’t get any better. He stayed exactly where he was, and eventually everyone figured him out. Joanna hasn’t gotten better, she’s gotten more in shape. That’s it.
Trots att han hyllar Jedrzejczyk och att hon vann sin senaste match så anser han inte att hon förtjänar att utmana om titeln härnäst.
No, we know Rose is a better fighter. She beat her twice. There’s no discussion. There’s no discussion. If Joanna is the better fighter, she’d be the champ right now. But she’s not. Rose is. She knocked her out, and then she beat her ass for five rounds. Rose wants to fight whoever’s the best. If Joanna is the second best or the next best whoever it is, Rose wants to fight the best. Whoever’s out there. But is she entertaining the idea of fighting Joanna again? Sure, if that’s what comes around. Been there, done that.
I sin senaste match lyckades Jedrzejczyk besegra Tecia Torres via enhälligt domslut.
