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Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk may return to the Octagon, according to teammate Mayra Bueno Silva.
Silva spoke with MMA Fighting ahead of her UFC Fight Night 219 clash with Lina Lansberg — which the Brazilian won via a second-round kneebar. During the interview, she told the outlet that Jedrzejczyk still trains like an active competitor. And when Silva asked Jedrzejczyk to unretire, the 35-year-old Polish fighter didn’t shut her down.
“It’s so crazy, she trains like she’s still the champion,” Silva said. “I see her every day in the gym, we train together, and she’s training like she’s still the champion. I ask her, I tell her, ‘I’m not ready yet for you to retire’. Joanna was one of the biggest inspirations at home, for Gloria [de Paula] and I.
“[I tell her] ‘We’re not ready for you to retire. Please fight at least one more time.’ And she’s always like, ‘We’ll see, we’ll see’ [laughs]. Man, she trains more than I do. When I get to the gym, she’s already there. When I leave, she’s still there. When I come back, she’s already training there.”
Silva Called Jedrzejczyk One of the GOATs, ‘I Think She’ll Come Back’
Jedrzejczyk walked away from the sport last year after falling to Weili Zhang via second-round KO at UFC 275 in June. It was her second straight defeat to Zhang, who defeated her for the 115-pound championship in March 2020 at UFC 248. It was a back-and-forth five-round war that many regard as the greatest scrap of that year.
Silva said the back-to-back defeats stung Jedrzejczyk, but she’s confident “Joanna Champion” will bounce back.
“I believe she’s still going to fight,” Silva said. “A fighter’s career is bitter, right? You spend your whole life dedicating and all of a sudden something like that happens and it’s very hard for you to overcome. But I think she’ll come back. She’s one of the greatest of all times, and a champion doesn’t stop like that.”
Jedrzejczyk Has the Most Title Wins in UFC Strawweight History
On paper, Jedrzejczyk is the most successful 115-pound strawweight queen in UFC history. She boasts the record for most title wins (6) in the division, as well as the longest win streak (8). She earned the belt in 2015 when she dethroned Carla Esparza by second-round TKO at UFC 285. She went on to defend the belt five times in a row, beating the likes of Jessica Andrade, Jessica Penne and Claudia Gadelha.
Rose Namajunas is charged with taking the championship from Jedrzejczyk in 2017, as well as handing the Polish fighter her first professional defeat. All in all, Jedrzejczyk has a professional mixed martial arts record of 16-5. After her initial defeat to Namajunas, she would attempt to earn another UFC belt three times before retiring, which included losing a decision to Valentina Shevchenko when Jedrzejczyk battled for the 125-pound strap in 2018.
For Silva, she improved her record to 10-2-1 on Saturday. The women’s bantamweight has been on the UFC roster since her win over Mayana Souza dos Santos on Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil in 2018, and she extended her Octagon victory streak to three by besting Lansberg.
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