2015 was a breakout year for Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Maybe not in the Conor McGregor sense, but she captured the strawweight title and established herself as one of the most violent champions on the roster.
One does not earn the nicknames “Joanna Champion” and “Joanna Violence” without kicking some ass. As the 115-pound women’s champ, Jedrzejczyk has a ton of options for the upcoming year. Let’s break down a few of them and project some odds.
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ONLY THE BEST
Claudia Gadelha +150
Joanna Jedrzejczyk -190
Many feel that Gadelha is the only current, credible threat to Joanna, and this argument is solidified by the fact that most media outlets scored their first fight in the Brazilian’s favor. Physically, Gadelha is an absolute monster, with power and athleticism in spades. She’s a multiple-time BJJ champion, but her strength and quickness makes her extremely dangerous on the feet.
That being said, J-Check has also improved since brutalizing Carla Esparza to take the belt in early 2015. Make no mistake, this is a matchup between the two best strawweights in the world, and it’s the bout that’s currently being negotiated. The odds reflected here are the same that were briefly listed in our Future Events section, so I’d expect them to be the same once the fight is officially announced.
THE BIGGEST STARS
Rose Namajunas +350
Joanna Jedrzejczyk -400
Y’all forgot about Rose, but she forced herself back into the spotlight with an agonizing beatdown of Paige VanZant just last month. For purely superficial reasons, the UFC pot committed itself to marketing PVZ instead of Namajunas, who is equally charismatic yet 10 times more savage.
In no way is Namajunas ready for J-Check. Rose is brimming with unharnessed raw talent, while Jedrzejczyk is as polished as they come. But this is a fight that seems inevitable, given that “Thug” Rose has climbed to No. 3 in the rankings. It would be a wildly entertaining affair, no doubt.
THE UNDEFEATED
Tecia Torres +600
Joanna Jedrzejczyk -900
There came a point in Ronda Rousey’s career that every opponent seemed like a squash match for Rowdy. J-Check could get there very soon, provided she gets past Gadelha. A matchup with Torres is evidence of that. While “The Tiny Tornado” is undefeated at 7-0 and carries a No. 4 ranking, nobody would think she has a legitimate shot at beating the champ right now.
Because the strawweight division is so thin, we could soon see a point where the UFC is just throwing warm bodies into the octagon for the champ to stay busy. That’s essentially what a Jedrzejczyk vs. Torres matchup would be.
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