Joanna Jedrzejczyk pummels Carla Esparza to become new UFC strawweight champion
Joanna Jedrzejczyk said in the lead-up to her fight with Carla Esparza that after Saturday night it would no longer matter if people could pronounce her last name, because everyone could call her Joanna "Champion."
It turns out she was absolutely correct, as she battered Esparza from bell to bell to become the new UFC women's strawweight champion in only her third fight inside the Octagon.
As soon as the fight started at UFC 185 in Dallas, Esparza showed her hand. She desperately began fishing for takedowns to take the Polish striker to the ground. Esparza put Jedrzejczyk on the ground early, but as soon as the fight worked back to the feet, it was clear they weren't going there again.
Jedrzejczyk stuffed Esparza's attempts throughout the remainder of the first round, and the frustration started to mount. While Esparza came up empty with her wrestling, Jedrzejczyk began finding her range on the feet.
The former Muay Thai world champion found confidence with each shot she landed, and as the second round started to tick away, it was clear the title was about to change hands.
Jedrzejczyk was relentless as she went after Esparza with punches until she finally put together a picture perfect combination that send the champion reeling to the cage.
Jedrzejczyk continued the barrage until Esparza dropped and the referee had no choice but to swoop in and stop the fight before any more damage could accumulate. Jedrzejczyk celebrated the win while also becoming the first UFC champion from Poland.
"I said that I could do it, and I did it," Jedrzejczyk said. "I was training so hard for her. No one believed in my grappling or wrestling. Nobody is going to take this belt from me."
Jedrzejczyk is 9-0 in her career, and she's going to present a tall challenge to any of the contenders who might try to take the belt from her at 115 pounds in the UFC.
