Joanna Jedrzejczyk Says Rose Namajunas ‘Won The Battle, But Won’t Win The War’
UFC 223 is fast approaching and the excitement is building as we edge closer to the rematch between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas.
The two women famously crossed paths for the first time at UFC 217 last November when Namajunas upset the odds and went on to hand Jedrzejczyk the first loss of her career and claim the UFC strawweight title.
The former Polish champion received plenty of criticism in the immediate aftermath of the loss, but speaking exclusively to MMANytt.com this week, Jedrzejczyk said she still felt a lot of love and support from those around her.
“I got more love,” Jedrzejczyk said.
“When you get to this level, the highest level, when they see you like falling or you slip, they’re like hating on you and laughing at you, but of course, they don’t know about my life, they don’t know about me, they don’t know about how I trained and how I prepared for the first fight with Rose Namajunas.
“I can tell you the camp before was one of the greatest camps, it was one of the best camps in my fighting career, but this one is even better. I’m getting better with every training and the thing is, people see hate, but I see love.
“I’ve met so many new people and I’ve signed many new contracts, sponsorship contracts and I feel just better you know.”
With the past now behind her, Jedrzejczyk is focused on looking to the future and making sure she reclaims her title. She went on to say that inspiring others and showing them that they can recover from a loss or a failure is a big motivator for her heading into the rematch on April 7.
“I’m just human and we can all fall” Jedrzejczyk said.
“This is what I’m going to do, I’m going to dedicate this fight for all the people that have fell and don’t have the power to raise up. I’m going to inspire them and show them that it is worth it.
“I have risen up already so I will show the people that it’s worth it to stand up and fight.”
Jedrzejczyk’s behaviour towards Namajunas received plenty of attention in the lead up to the last fight, but the Pole says she was never being disrespectful. The former champion gave praise to Namajunas for her performance at UFC 217, but at the same time promised things would be a lot different come April 7.
“I have so much respect for Rose Namajunas,” Jedrzejczyk said. The same as I had before the first fight. I didn’t disrespect her and I put on a great camp before our first fight. The thing is, anyone can win a short fight, a quick fight.
“Of course, she did it perfect and she punched me, she was precise and she had enough power that night to knock me out, but like I said, I wasn’t a competitor that night and I went through so many wars.
“She won the battle, but she isn’t going to win the war and I’m going to win on April 7.”
Watch the full interview:
