Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Valerie Letourneau exchange words on UFC 193 media call

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

When the planned rematch between UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha couldn’t come together for UFC 193, the door was open for Valerie Letourneau to step in and take her shot at the title.

On the media conference call for the event, Jedrzejczyk (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) explained that she saw Letourneau (8-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in action in her previous bout against Maryna Moroz and – while she thinks the challenger performed well, she doesn’t think she’s ready for the challenge at the event, which takes place Nov. 14 at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.

“You know, I honestly watched her last fight against Maryna Moroz and she did very well,” Jedrzejczyk said. “She almost knocked her out in the first round. I’m supposed to beat Valarie for what she did in Krakow. She just had a big mouth, but she wasn’t ready for a fight with me.

“I’m happy that I’m going to face Valarie. She’s the right person.”

Letourneau took the opportunity to explain how she has improved both through fighting in the octagon and by training for her upcoming opportunity.

“Maybe she’s going to have a bad surprise on Nov. 14,” Letourneau said. “I feel like I improved from my fight with Jessica Rakoczy to Moroz, but I feel like I’ve improved 10 times more already from my fight with Moroz to now. I just can’t wait to put it all there and show what I’m capable of. I hope I’m able to put everything into action.”

At this point, the call began to shift away from the two women and move along to the next question, but Jedrzejczyk, who has adopted the name of “Joanna Champion,” spoke up again.

“Can I say something?” Jedrzejczyk interjected. “I’m not not Maryna Moroz and I’m not Racozy. I’m Joanna Champion.”

“I know you’re a great fighter, Joanna,” Letourneau said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Jedrzejczyk got in the final word before UFC Vice President of Public Relations Dave Sholler redirected the call.

“That’s good,” Jedrzejczyk said. “Keep it in your mind.”

For more on UFC 193, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.