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UFC Strawweight in 2017: Can Anyone Dethrone Joanna?
Strawweight has become one of the UFC’s most entertaining divisions, and champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the biggest reason why.
Earning her spot among the UFC‘s top draws and most talented fighters, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the model division champion. Always improving on the mic, Joanna Champion delivered another fantastic year, continuing her domination of the strawweight division.
Defeating compatriot Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Brazilian Claudia Gadelha (again) in 2016, Jedrzejczyk improved her MMA record to 14-0, including 7-0 in the UFC. She’s at the top of the game, and it doesn’t seem as though there’s anyone around who can knock her down.
She’s not stopping there, though. Her move to American Top Team in September signaled a push for more, and with four title defenses under her belt, the prospect of Jedrzejczyk improving is more than intriguing. That being said, is there anyone who can give her a legitimate challenge?
Of course, anything can happen in a fight. Especially in the UFC, where shocking scorecards are becoming less and less shocking each weekend. It’s with that hope, that Gadelha looks for a third bout with Jedrzejczyk, and so do we.
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While defeating Jedrzejczyk is a tough prospect for any strawweight fighter, she has gone to a decision in her last three fights, and twice versus Gadelha. Their July bout was one of the best fights of the year, and while she may have to wait, we wouldn’t be surprised if they matched up again in 2017.
If close fights with Jedrzejczyk are the measurement for the rest of the division, then Kowalkiewicz’s unanimous-decision loss at UFC 205 puts her among the top strawweights in the promotion. Kowalkiewicz’s loss to the champion was her first in the UFC, and her rebound from the five-round fight will go a long way toward solidifying that position.
There’s no lack of interesting opposition for Kowalkiewicz, such as Jessica Andrade and Carla Esparza. With Andrade, the strawweight division gets one of the strongest female fighters in the UFC. Moving down from bantamweight in 2016, Andrade is 2-0 with two finishes at 115 and is ready to fight again. Her rumored bout with Invicta FC strawweight champion Angela Hill at UFC 207, who would’ve been replacing Maryna Moroz, is off after Hill was unable to complete the four-month testing pool time with USADA in time for the December 30 fight.
We will likely be waiting a bit longer for Esparza’s return after she required shoulder surgery last summer. A win in the first few months of next year would go a long way toward returning the former UFC and Invicta FC strawweight champion to title-contention. Regardless of when she fights, Esparza will be working toward a comeback year in 2017.
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There’s also Tecia Torres, coming off of the first non-exhibition professional loss of her MMA career. That loss, to Rose Namajunas in April of last year, was her lone fight of the year, in her least active year in the Octagon since 2012. She’ll have the chance to bounce back early in 2017, taking on Bec Rawlings at UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston on February 4.
Don’t forget about Namajunas, either. Her 2017 will play a role in the chase for Jedrzejzcyk’s belt as much as anybody in the strawweight division. The 115-pound weight class seems suddenly deep, for a group that some consider lacking true contenders for Jedrzejzcyk.
There’s also this weekend’s headliners Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson, as well as Joanne Calderwood, Moroz, and more to work toward the top of the division in 2017.
The potential creation of a 125-pound division would inarguably have an impact on the currently impressive depth of the strawweight division. But with the recent creation of the women’s featherweight belt for UFC 208, we’d be surprised if there are two new women’s weight classes by the end of 2017, despite the depth they could pull from the other divisions and Invicta FC. We’re still rooting for it, and hey, if the UFC are suddenly in need of a title match for a PPV sometime next year, it’s certainly an option.
Full of talent, depth, youth, and high-quality match-ups, we have plenty to look forward to from the strawweight division in 2017. Joanna Champion is a fighter we’ll always pay attention to. In a weight class full of talent, there’ll be a few more names we make sure to watch throughout next year.
