UFC's Joanna Jedrzejczyk Follows Ronda Rousey’s Prominence

Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is trudging the same path to excellence as current bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey. Coming off three impressive victories over Juliana Lima, Claudia Gadelha and Carla esparza, the Muay Thai fighter recently revealed that she is continuously learning the ropes of being a champion and what it takes to sustain that level.

“The day of the fight is the glory day,” Jedrzejczyk said of the demands of being an undefeated champ. “All the work has been put in and that’s when you are able to show what you have done and how much better you have gotten. That’s the easy part. The hard part is day-after-day going to the gym and doing the work, and just living the lifestyle of a champion.”

Rousey also recently shared the same sentiments stressing the strenuous part of pushing oneself daily and not resting on any laurels. The undefeated “Rowdy,” who also holds the distinction of completing the fastest time in any title defense, is a self-admitted gym rat. She shared that due her work ethic and various endeavors makes it hard for her to give romance any attention.

The Polish champion Jedrzejczyk is taking notes of Rousey’s attitude and admitted that she has to continue the competitor stance to remain on top. She added that she is polishing her wrestling skills and adding that to her Muay Thai discipline, rounding out her mixed-martial-arts arsenal arming her in the upcoming title defense debut opposite Jessica Penne in Berlin for UFC Fight Pass this weekend.

Aside from the similar mindset, it also helps that like Rousey, the 27-year-old Jedrzejczyk was raised an athlete. She excelled in team sports as a child and joined her schools’ basketball and volleyball. That natural gift was parlayed into a Muay Thai career which yielded six championships and now she is conquering the Octagon with her striking prowess.

With the way Jedrzejczyk pushes and carries herself, it is a possibility that someday the Polish pride may soon take on the biggest name of the UFC – Rousey. In the meantime, UFC President Dana White is satisfied with having two formidable champions carrying the torch for women fighters in the UFC.