Joanna Jedrzejczyk needed a big win at UFC Fight Night 69 in Berlin in order to justify the hype she has been receiving.
Man, oh man, did she get it. Facing former Invicta FC atomweight title holder Jessica Penne, the champ showed off her lethal striking skills from bell to bell, battering the challenger until she was reduced to a bloody mess.
You can check out the graphic results here:
#UFCBerlin: @joannamma Puts Beating on @JessicaPenne, Stops Her in Third to Retain @ufc Title http://t.co/jD9Hw835PQ pic.twitter.com/Vv19hpisMY
— Sherdog.com (@sherdogdotcom) June 20, 2015
JOOAAANNNAA!! Throwing BOMBBSS! #UFCBerlin @JoannaMMA http://t.co/WpRG2g1L3f http://t.co/uZi3RDAGrS
— UFC (@ufc) June 20, 2015
The win was quite possibly the most impressive performance of Jedrzejczyk's career. A Chuck Liddell-style sprawl-and-brawler, she repeatedly stuffed the undersized Penne's takedown attempts, and blitzed her with lightning-fast combinations.
The first round was relatively quiet, outside of Penne being briefly rocked by a punch. By the second round, Jedrzejczyk had found her range, cracking Penne along the cage's perimeter with big punches and elbows. A huge cut opened up across the bridge of her nose, spilling blood down her face.
Welts formed around her eyes and cheeks, leaving her an absolute mess by the end of the round. Penne would display absurd toughness by enduring an inhuman number of punches, but the ref would call the fight with Penne still standing at 4:22 of Round 3.
While there was cause to question Jedrzejczyk's elite status due to her relative lack of experience, the champ silenced many doubters at Fight Night 69. The win advanced her to 10-0 in her career (4-0 in the UFC) and added another top-10 fighter to her resume. It is unclear who may be next for the champ, but with her near-impenetrable takedown defense and machine gun hands, it is hard to imagine anybody at 115 pounds actually threatening to beat her.
So what say you, fight fans? Who should Jedrzejczyk fight next? Do they stand a chance?
