Joanna Jedrzejczyk says women's MMA quality has declined with fewer finishes and less exciting fights
"If you look at the stats about women's MMA, especially in the UFC, there are less fights. The fights maybe are not exciting as used to be. I feel like they're focused too much on what's outside instead of being focused on what's inside the gym, the octagon, you know."
About this episode
Two-time UFC Hall of Famer Joanna Jedrzejczyk sat down for an extensive interview revealing the challenges of life after fighting and her current work as a fighter manager. The former strawweight champion disclosed that UFC matchmakers showed no favoritism during her transition to management, taking six months to sign her first two fighters despite her legendary status. Jedrzejczyk offered a controversial assessment of modern women's MMA, claiming the quality has declined because current fighters prioritize social media and appearance over training, resulting in fewer exciting fights and finishes compared to her era. Four years after retirement, she admitted to battling daily urges to return to competition, comparing the struggle to addiction and revealing she discusses a potential comeback with her manager Jennifer Goldstein every other day. Living in Las Vegas and playing pickleball regularly, Jedrzejczyk reflected on her iconic UFC 248 fight with Zhang Weili, revealing the massive hematoma took 12 weeks to heal and required multiple medical appointments. She addressed controversy involving Jamahal Hill, suggesting a third party close to Hill created the situation and maintaining her strict policy against dating UFC fighters. Jedrzejczyk also discussed her upcoming appearance on Poland's Dancing with the Stars, her fighter management philosophy of sharing hard-earned knowledge with Polish fighters, and her continued charity work with cancer patients. The interview provided rare insight into the psychological toll of retirement for elite fighters and the business challenges women face in MMA management.
Key takeaways
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk says UFC matchmakers took six months to sign her first fighters as manager with no special treatment despite her Hall of Fame status
- Former champion criticizes current women's MMA quality, claiming fighters focus too much on social media and appearance instead of training, resulting in less exciting fights
- Jedrzejczyk admits she discusses a potential UFC comeback with her manager every other day four years after retirement, comparing the urge to addiction
- The UFC legend revealed the massive hematoma from her UFC 248 fight with Zhang Weili took 12 weeks to fully heal and required multiple physician appointments
- Jedrzejczyk addressed Jamahal Hill controversy for first time, alleging a third party close to Hill manipulated the situation and denying romantic interest
- Former champion maintains strict policy against dating UFC fighters and expressed frustration about threats to her hard-earned reputation
- Jedrzejczyk is returning to Poland for Dancing with the Stars appearance while continuing to manage several UFC fighters and maintain tax residency requirements