Recently crowned UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade has said former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk needs to string some wins together before she earns her shot at the belt.
Andrade (20-6) won the UFC strawweight belt earlier this month when she knocked out Rose Namajunas in the second-round after slamming ‘Thug’ Rose on her head. The 27-year-old beat the best before winning the belt, knocking out Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and winning decisions against Tecia Torres and Claudia Gadelha.
After her win over Namajunas, questions were raised about the legality of the slam that led to the finish, but talking to MMA Fighting about it Andrade downplayed any criticisms.
“I’ll tell you this, it didn’t bother me,” Andrade said. “I think that those who said that don’t really understand about fighting because I didn’t do a spike, it was a slam. She went down like that because she kept holding my arm. If you watch my fights, I do that all the time. I’ve done that against Joanna (Jedrzejczyk), against Claudia Gadelha, against Tecia Torres. It was a slam. So, yeah, it doesn’t bother me.”
Andrade’s last loss in the UFC came to former longtime strawweight champ Jedrzejczyk. That win was Jedrzejczyk’s fifth, and last, defence of her title before she lost it to Namajunas. With only one win in her last four, Andrade said Jedrzejczyk needs to start winning some fights before she challenges her for the belt.”
“Everybody expects me to fight Joanna, but she has to work and try to get another opportunity to fight for the belt,” Andrade said. “When I fought her and lost, I had to get back in there and win three fights against the three high-ranked fighters to earn another chance.
“For her to fight me, she has to do the same,” Andrade said of Jedrzejczyk. “She has to get some wins, fight the higher-ranked girls, and then, if she wins, she’ll have the chance to fight me. I do believe that the next in line will be the winner of Nina vs. Tatiana or Michelle Waterson. I’ll wait. When the UFC calls me, I’ll be ready.”
Jedrzejcyk moved up to flyweight last year to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant women’s flyweight title, losing by unanimous decision at UFC 231.
