Joanna Jedrzejczyk Dismisses Retirement Talk: ‘I Still Feel The Fire’

Joanna Jedrzejczyk has never been shy about laying out her plans to retire in the not too distant future, but if you think she’s going to hang up the gloves following her loss at UFC 223 you best think again.

Jedrzejczyk was defeated for the second straight time by Rose Namajunas earlier this month in Brooklyn, New York and now faces the reality that getting a third shot a the title is long way off.

Speaking yesterday back in her home country of Poland, Jedrzejczyk looked on the positive side of her performance and assured her fans that she wouldn’t be retiring following her second straight defeat.

“I proved to myself that I’m the best in the world,” Jedrzejczyk told InTheCage. Even Rose’s coaches said after the fight ‘it was really close, but we didn’t win.’”

“I’m still in the game, I’m not going to retire, as I heard some people said.

“I will come back for that belt, as I did three years ago and kept it for almost three years.

“I know what does it mean to feel the fire, and I’m still feeling it.”

While stilly fully focused on regaining her UFC strawweight title, Jedrzejczyk says she’s no longer defined by being a champion. The Pole then echoed the words of Dominic Cruz following his loss to Cody Garbrandt as the perfect example of why she doesn’t need a title.

“We expected split decision in our favour, but when we heard these scorecards, me and my coaches were certain we won that fight.

Unfortunately, the verdict was opposite. I don’t take anything away from Rose, I’m happy she has that belt.

“Maybe my performance wasn’t good enough, to take it away from her, but I’m self satisfied.

“As Dominick Cruz said: ‘You don’t need to posses the title to feel like a champion, to be a champion and to remain a champion for many people and for yourself’. To be happy.”

Jedrzejczyk has now returned to Poland from America and is expected to return later this year.