‘She’s the Greatest Right Now’- Joanna Jedrzejczyk Heaps Praise on Former Rival Rose Namajunas Ahead of UFC 274
It’s not often that long-time rivals in the UFC show respect to each other in the lead-up to an important fight. Case in point, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, whose hatred for each other knows no bounds.
However, former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk gave major props to her rival Rose Namajunas ahead of UFC 274.
‘Thug’ Rose is set to compete in the co-main event of the card and she’ll defend her belt against inaugural champion Carla Esparza. ‘The Cookie Monster’ came out on top in their first outing, but Namajunas is favored now given her recent success.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk predicts UFC 274’s Rose Namajunas vs Carla Esparza bout
Rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk went on record with MMA Fighting to give her prediction for the fight and her pick may surprise some fans.
“I don’t like predictions but I think Rose Namajunas first-round finish,” Jedrzejczyk told MMA Fighting. “You know I see Carla Esparza shooting and Rose defending the takedown and submitting her. But her footwork and her strikes are so crispy and juicy and [Rose] can knock her out [as well].”
“I feel like Carla Esparza can’t handle it but she’s the next challenger, the contender for the strawweight belt and she deserves the shot. She’s right there at the top and let’s see what’s going to happen.”
Additionally, Jedrzejczyk praised Rose Namajunas for how far she has come in the sport. She recognized that ‘Thug’ Rose was in her prime and even went on to call her the ‘greatest right now’. This is a massive deviation from where both men were when they fought in 2017.
“She’s a different fighter right now,” Jedrzejczyk said about Namajunas. “She has an amazing coach and amazing people around her and she’s training really hard and she’s right there. She’s the champ. She’s the greatest right now. She’s in her prime and that’s nice. That’s good to see.”
Jedrzejczyk has come a long way personally, and it seems like she’s relying solely on her skills to get her back to the title. She was known as a rather intimidating presence who chose to get in her opponents’ head before the contest. However, this side of Jedrzejczyk is certainly refreshing to see for all fight fans.
