Joanna Jedrzejczyk jumps to Ronda Rousey's defense: 'She knows what hard work means'

When Ronda Rousey went from one of the sport’s most dominant champions to a two-fight skid, many questioned whether her commitment to stardom was getting in the way.

Undefeated strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, however, is not one of those people. As she tries to build her own legacy both in and outside of the octagon, where she’s just defended her belt for the fifth time, Jedrzejczyk can certainly relate to some of Rousey’s struggle. And, as an admitted fan and admirer of the ex-champ, she thinks it’s unfair to question her focus.

“I know that Ronda Rousey is one of the greatest athletes in this sport,” Jedrzejczyk told MMAjunkie Radio on Monday. “And I don’t believe that she was focused more on the movies, and the commercials (and) photo shoots, than on training. I don’t believe that, because she became an Olympian medalist when she was very young, and I know that she knows what hard work means.

“So, I don’t think people should blame her for that. It just happened. MMA is a beautiful sport, but anything can happen. One fight, one submission, can finish the fight. And the same thing could’ve happened in my last fight, or in the past, or it might happen in my next fight.”

Jedrzejczyk (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) knows a thing or two about balancing all aspects of the post-belt life. Talking to reporters shortly after a masterful display over Jessica Andrade (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) at UFC 211’s co-headlining scrap this past Saturday, the Polish champ said that, other than the American Top Team squad that she’s come to cherish greatly, the reason for her move the U.S. was building her overall brand.

But, as much as the champ is invested in making herself a household name, she’s very clear about her priorities – the same way she thinks Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has always been.

“It’s not easy to become a UFC champion, it’s not easy to defend the title, or become a rich person, or a popular person,” Jedrzejczyk said. “But the thing is to deal with it. I hope that I’m going to stay humble. I’m going to take this seriously, because I have a good life. I have good people around me. But still, the work in the gym is the most important. Because at the end of the day, people want to see me in good shape during the fight, not on the cover of magazines, not at the commercials.

“I want to be remembered as one of the best and greatest fighters and athletes from Poland, not as a celebrity, or person from the covers or photo shoots. I like to do that – I like my media and sponsorship obligations, but when it’s time for it, I do this. And I believe that Ronda did this the same way. People cannot say that, because they don’t know the truth. Only she knows.”

If Jedrzejczyk manages to hold on to her belt once more, she will tie Rousey’s record of title defenses among the UFC’s women’s divisions. But as flattered as she is to be part of the “best female fighter of all time” talk, the champ avoids making it a competition.

“Ronda Rousey, she’s still a champion to me and to so many people,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I like her so much and I cannot compare myself to one of the greatest – (a) still living legend. But it’s nice – it’s good to hear. With every fight, I want to put on better and better performances, and put on great fights to show people who I am.”

While Jedrzejczyk has not made the same “Saturday Night Live” type of mainstream leap Rousey has, she has been keeping busy – whether it’s constantly feeding her active social media accounts, or helping leverage her sponsors and hype up her octagon appearances.

Trzymacie kciuki ?????????? @sport.pl ??

A post shared by Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannajedrzejczyk) on May 13, 2017 at 12:30pm PDT

But, in spite of her rising popularity and athletic dominance, there’s an honor that has so far eluded the Polish champ: headlining a pay-per-view card. On her end, she can’t really tell when that will happen. But, when it does, she’s ready to put in all types of work necessary to make it a successful one.

“I want people to know my name more and more,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I want people to know my story. I want to work more on my English, on my accent, and be able to tell people this story. Maybe in the future I will headline my own pay-per-view show. I was headlining the (UFC) Fight Night (69) in Berlin in 2015. It was my title defense (against Jessica Penne). But I don’t know.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to do that, but I’m happy to put on such great work, do the media and promote the pay-per-view event.”

For more on UFC 211, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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