Joanna Jedrzejczyk Will Never Tell Rose Namajunas She’s the Best in the World
Joanna Jedrzejczyk may not be holding the UFC strawweight title right now but she’s not ready to relinquish the title of the best in the world.
Following a unanimous decision victory over Tecia Torres on Saturday night at UFC on FOX 30, Jedrzejczyk addressed reigning 115-pound champion Rose Namajunas and her hopes to face her for a third time.
Namajunas has thwarted Jedrzejczyk on two previous occasions — the first by knockout and the second by unanimous decision back in April. Following that second win, Namajunas said the only way she would give Jedrzejczyk a third bite at the apple would be if the former champion finally admitted that she was the best in the world.
It’s safe to say Jedrzrejczyk won’t be catering to that demand.
“I will not do this. Never ever,” Jedrzejczyk said following her win at UFC on FOX 30. “She wants my honor? She must earn that. If she’s going to run, they’re going to make an interim belt. She was saying that she’s afraid Conor McGregor will show up again and make a mess like he did before Brooklyn. He’s not going to do this.
“Don’t be afraid, Rose. Come on. Just fight. Just face the best.”
As must as Jedrzejczyk wants another shot at gold, she actually advocated for Namajunas to face top ranked contender Jessica Andrade next after she’s earned a couple of lopsided victories in a row including a dominant win over former title challenger Claudia Gadelha.
Instead, Andrade has been matched up with another former title contender in Karolina Kowalkiewicz as they are scheduled to meet at UFC 228 in September.
No matter the circumstance, Jedrzejczyk isn’t ready to bend the knee and proclaim Namajunas as the queen of the strawweights until they meet again.
“Rose saying that she will give me the third fight after I will say that she is the best? No way. Maybe you beat me, and you’re the champion, and you won, but your legacy is not that big. You should bow down because I am the queen. I give her respect,” Jedrzejczyk said.
“Maybe she is injured, so I am sorry. I give her credit. She’s the champ. If she’s injured, OK. But if she’s just playing, and she just wants holiday, let UFC know that. ‘I want a holiday, I want a break.’ Let UFC make an interim belt, and let’s fight for the belt.”
