The UFC is ready to kick off fight week for what is set to be one of the best PPV events of the year to date in the form of UFC 223 on April 7, 2018.
This incredible fight card includes a co-main event title fight between the current women’s Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (7-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) taking on Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a much anticipated rematch.
The former champion Jedrzejczyk was looking to secure a sixth title-defense at UFC 217 which would have tied her with Ronda Rousey for the most title defenses all-time for UFC women. Many believed she would surpass Rousey’s record for title defenses before that dream came to an end. Namajunas defeated her via TKO (punches) in the first round.
Jedrzejczyk has not been shy in stating a major cause for her loss to “Thug Rose” was a bad weight cut.
“I took her very, very serious,” Jedrzejczyk said on the recent UFC 223 conference call. “She was my big challenge last time, but my weight cut impacted my body. I don’t care if people are going to say if it was my excuse. Only me and my team know what happened that night and how I felt in the Octagon.”
However, Jedrzejczyk since then has made some changes in her camp and fired her nutritionist. She posted on Instagram that she’s currently 122.5 lbs nearly a week and a half prior to the title fight.
Namajunas on the other hand has been rather quiet on social media following her win. She’ll be looking to secure her first title defense against the former chamnpion at UFC 223. Namajunas is currently on a two-fight win streak after defeating Michelle Waterson via submission (rear-naked choke) at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis as well as her recent win against Jedrzejczyk in New York City, New York.
Namajunas was on the Joe Rogan Experience MMA show earlier this year and was confident when asked about her fight with Jedrzejczyk.
“I knew I was going to knock her out,” she said regarding the first fight. Speaking on her rematch, Namajunas stated:
“That’s the tough part. You can’t paint the Mona Lisa twice. It has to be something different, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, either. We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing but keep getting better obviously all the time.”
The fight will serve as the night’s co-main event with Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight championship headlining.
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