Joanna Jedrzejczyk on Rose Namajunas: ‘She’s Just Taking Care of My Belt’

As much as fighters are defined by their biggest wins, many are also judged by how they bounce back from their toughest defeats.

It’s safe to say former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk refuses to slink away following her first loss as she looks to bounce back in 2018 after suffering a first round TKO to Rose Namajunas in November.

While it’s never easy to suffer a defeat, much less losing a championship, Jedrzejczyk hasn’t lost an ounce of confidence despite the result in the fight with Namajunas and she promises to come back to reclaim the title she helped define since first arriving in the UFC.

At a Q&A with fans on Friday, Jedrzejczyk reiterated that when she returns next year she will challenge for the strawweight title but for now Namajunas can keep the belt warm for her.

“Don’t worry guys, my first fight [back] is going to be for a belt and I promise to you that I’m going to be a champion,” Jedrzejczyk said.

“She’s just taking care of my belt, cleaning the belt and I’m the real champion.”

As far as timing goes, Jedrzejczyk is anxious to spend some time at home in Poland with her fiancé and family after spending more than three months training at American Top Team in Florida to get ready for UFC 217.

Jedrzejczyk will still be training at home but from the sound of things, she’s expecting to start her next fight came around February, which would mean a late spring or early summer date for her return.

“I’m more than ready to start my camp but now I’ve been working so hard before my last fight, 13 weeks in Florida so after China…I fly to Poland on Sunday. I need to stay with my family for a month, two months and then after that I will start my camp,” Jedrzejczyk revealed.

While she had teased a possible move to flyweight before the fight with Namajunas at UFC 217, Jedrzejczyk sounds resolved to stay at 115-pounds for now to reclaim the strawweight title in her return to the Octagon.

Before the loss to Namajunas, Jedrzejczyk was a five-time defending champion and she clearly looks forward to re-staking her claim as the best strawweight in the world.

“I built this division and I will run this division,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I’m still running this division.”