Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk was close to calling company president Dana White for a comeback.
Jedrzejczyk was last seen in action against former strawweight champion Weili Zhang in June at UFC 275. She returned to competition after a two-year hiatus for a rematch with Zhang in the hopes of securing a title shot. Jedrzejczyk came out firing in an exciting outing that ultimately saw Zhang dispatch her in the second round with a brutal spinning backfist knockout.
During the post-fight octagon interview, the 35-year-old Pole hung up her gloves to conclude one of the most decorated careers spanning a decade.
About five months after her retirement, Jedrzejczyk reflected on her decision to walk away from the octagon.
“It’s still hard. It was a spontaneous decision,” Jedrzejczyk said in an interview with Adam Catterall of BT Sport (transcribed by BJPenn.com). “But, during fight week I felt that if something (happened) I will retire, and it happened. The craziest thing about my retirement is my last camp was the best camp in my fighting career and I felt so good. I was probably not one of the best, but in the best shape ever.
“Weili Zhang caught me, and I went down. It just happened.”
Jedrzejczyk Was Close to Calling White for a Fight
Jedrzejczyk revealed that she considered returning back and nearly rang up White and UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell to book a fight.
“Two weeks ago, I went crazy, man. I was calling my management; I was about to call Dana (White) and Hunter (Campbell) to bring me back. Actually, I had this conversation with my coach, Mike Brown, and Dan Lambert, the owner of ATT.
“But yeah, it’s hard to like sit, think, like you’ve done so much, your legacies so big. I’ve been this for the last 19 years of my life.”
“I was about to call Dana and Hunter to bring me back” 📞
Joanna Jedrzejczyk talks about walking away from MMA and the times she has thought about coming out of retirement 👀
Watch the full exclusive interview between @AdamCatterall and @joannamma on YouTube now ▶️
Jedrzejczyk Appeared Content in Retiring
Jedrzejczyk, widely regarded as the greatest female strawweight mixed martial artist of all time, went undefeated in 14 bouts as a professional until former two-time strawweight queen Rose Namajunas dethroned her in Nov. 2017 at UFC 217.
Following her last bout with Zhang, Jedrzejczyk was content walking away as one of the best ever to grace the octagon. Besides her achievement at the highest level, she opened up about another goal she was proud to accomplish.
“The time when I was broke and that time, I felt I had no options – I had to quit,” Jedrzejczyk explained via MMA Fighting. “There was no money, no options, no possibilities but limits are only in our heads. I made a decision that I was going to become a superstar and I did that and I’m proud of myself. When I talk about my dreams from the past, I’m super proud of myself that I made it. Just don’t give up, guys.
“Sometimes I was in the super crazy and difficult position, and I thought that there was not going to be any help but there was. There is always an option but we need to make this first step. That is most important. We need to keep on moving. We can slow down but we can’t stop. We need to keep on moving in our lives and fully enjoy the rollercoaster.”
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UFC Icon Who Retired After KO Loss Was About To Call Dana White for Comeback