‘I Needed That… I Was Fighting Very Often’- Joanna Jędrzejczyk Explains the Reasons for Her Long Hiatus Before UFC 275

Posted on by Matt James

Former UFC flyweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk spoke to MMA Junkie and talked about her return to the fight game. The Polish fighter has been out of action since March 2020, when she went to war against Zhang Weili at UFC 248.

The fight ended in a split decision loss for Jędrzejczyk, however, the scrap was anointed as the ‘Fight of the Year’ for 2020, a well-deserved honor.

Jędrzejczyk now returns at UFC 275 as she rematches Weili in the hopes of being catapulted back into the title picture with a win over the former champion. Zhang Weili has faced her fair share of ups and downs since her fight against Joanna Jędrzejczyk, as she’s lost to both Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas since then.

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Joanna Jędrzejczyk on taking a break from fighting

The Polish fighter revealed that she wanted to take a step back from fighting after wrapping up her war against Zhang Weili. Per Jędrzejczyk, the break was geared towards bringing order back into her life and pursuing business ventures away from fighting. As a champion, Jędrzejczyk was extremely active and took on all challengers.

“It was my personal decision to not fight,” Jedrzejczyk told MMA Junkie. “The first break I took was after the fight with Valentina Shevchenko. I needed that. When I was the UFC champ, I was fighting very often. I was very active.”

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“One of the reasons I took a longer break was the time for myself. We don’t have the balance between the private life and the business and sports life. Then there was no fans at the arena and for me, there is no sport, any sport, without fans. I’m happy I can perform in front of thousands of people in the arena or watching TV.”

“I think that she’s not the same after our first fight,” Jedrzejczyk said. “Of course I lost, but she’s not the same. But she’s still one of the most dangerous in the division. It’s going to be a hell of a fight.” [h/t mmajunkie.com]

Jędrzejczyk is looking forward to coming back to action against a foe who pushed her to her limits. Zhang Weili is a notoriously tough outing, and she’s known to put a hellacious pace on her opponents.