MMA
Joanna Jedrzejczyk's UFC 248 title fight against Zhang Weili is her 'Chocolatito' moment
LAS VEGAS — Joanna Jedrzejczyk sits with her legs crossed in a red dress and lizard print stiletto heels as she fields questions from the surrounding media about her UFC 248 showdown with women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili.
Jedrzejczyk looks to reclaim her spot in the throne of the division she ruled over with an iron fist from 2015 to 2017. It was a time where she was the most feared fighter in the division who ran roughshod over the competition with blistering pace and precision striking.
Carla Esparza, Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau, Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jessica Andrade were all victims of “Joanna Champion.” She was on the path of immortality until a showdown with Rose Namajunas ended in stunning fashion when Jedrzecjczyk suffered her first defeat with a brutal first-round knockout that sent shockwaves through the UFC.
And then she lost the rematch. The veil of invincibility had been lifted. After getting a victory over Tecia Torres, Jedrzejczyk was soundly beaten by Valentina Shevchenko when she attempted to move up and claim a title in another division. In some ways, this opportunity against Zhang is her final chance at immortality for the former champion.
“What does that mean?” she leans in and asks incredulously when DAZN News inquires about this being a do or die fight for her.
“I do not care what they say about me,” she says when it is explained to her how this opportunity is viewed by many MMA fans. “Just stepping into the Octagon – no matter if your hand is raised or not – you are the winner. We are the best fighters in the world for the best organization.”
It feels like a very generic answer and there’s a pause before a smile stretches across her face.
“But I am going to be successful and get my belt back on Saturday.”
The reality is that this is her "Chocolatito" moment.
For the unaware, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez was recognized in many circles as the best pound for pound boxer in the world after the retirement of Floyd Mayweather Jr. The Nicaraguan's pressure style made for exciting fights and he often wore down his opponents with a seemingly nonstop assault from bell to bell.
Having cleaned out the flyweight division, he decided to try his hand at super flyweight and claim the WBC title against Carlos Cuadras. And then he ran into a buzzsaw known as Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. In a shocking 2017 meeting, Sor Rungvisai handed Chocolatito his first loss after a 46-fight win streak with a controversial majority decision. Sor Rungvisai followed that performance with a more definitive one when he knocked out Gonzalez in the fourth round later that year.
Gonzalez dropped off boxing’s pound for pound list and many assumed that the end of his storied run was near. However, a pair of victories against lesser opposition put him right back in position to become champion again when he faced the undefeated WBA super flyweight champion Kal Yafai in what was perceived to be a do or die moment for Chocolatito.
The 32-year-old rose to the occasion by soundly thumping Yafai before stopping him in the ninth round of their Feb. 29 showdown.
Rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. Could the same be said for Jedrzejczyk, who has very similar parallels to her Nicaraguan counterpart? Aside from them both competing at 115 pounds, Jedrzejczyk became the pound for pound best female mixed martial artist after Ronda Rousey’s retirement, was undefeated with an overwhelming style of pressure that often made for exciting fights, lost a pair of fights in shocking fashion – including one by knockout – to Rose Namajunas to end her reign of terror and is close to be written off by the MMA universe should she fail to beat Zhang at UFC 238.
“I know what I lost and how hard I worked to be the champ,” she says when asked about still having that fire burning deep inside of her to be the best in the world. “I’m here now and I believe in myself. I will get my belt back.”
There is a lot of pressure on the 32-year-old from Poland heading into this fight. But she appears relatively relaxed as she openly discusses the possibility of retirement, having kids and opening a breakfast restaurant in Poland. She smiles for pictures, flicks her hair and remains lighthearted in the days before the fight is set to take place.
Admittedly, the pressure is there but no different than it has been in the past.
“I always put a lot of pressure on myself,” she says. “My team is always proud after every training camp but I always know I can be better. That’s just who I am. I put a lot of pressure on myself but I love it, man. It keeps me going and reaching for new heights.
"It’s the most important fight of my career, my life. She’s the greatest strawweight of all-time right now and I’ll give her that. But I’m coming back to take what is mine.”
