American Top Team owner Dan Lambert isn’t sold on Joanna Jedrzejczyk stepping back inside the Octagon unless she gets another UFC title opportunity.
Jedrzejczyk is coming off a “Fight of the Year” contender against UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang. Jedrzejczyk ended up losing the bout via split decision. Since that time, Jedrzejczyk has been taking time off to heal and relax. She’s even hinted at retirement on social media.
Dan Lambert Feels Joanna Jedrzejczyk Won’t Fight Again Unless It’s For UFC Gold
Lambert appeared on BJPenn.com‘s Just Scrap Radio. During his appearance, the ATT head honcho said he feels that at this stage of her career, Jedrzejczyk isn’t likely to return unless she’s fighting for UFC gold again.
“That is the best female fight of all-time, but it goes above and beyond that. It was just an amazing fight period. A really competitive fight and if you go back and watch it and she didn’t have that swelling in the fifth round, judges were given more credit to the champ because of the damage Joanna was showing. I thought Joanna Jedrzejczyk won that fifth round which was the deciding factor in the fight,” Lambert said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “It was a great fight and everyone wants to see it again. I think the UFC is leaning towards giving Rose the next shot so Joanna will sit back and see what happens. I don’t think a lot makes sense besides fighting for the title.”
As Lambert mentioned, many believe Rose Namajunas will be next in line for a shot at Jedrzejczyk’s title. Namajunas is coming off a split decision victory over Jessica Andrade in their rematch at UFC 251 on July 11. If Zhang vs. Namajunas gets booked and “Thug” Rose wins the 115-pound title, it could be bad news for Jedrzejczyk as she has gone 0-2 against Namajunas. While Jedrzejczyk would undoubtedly be confident in her ability to emerge victorious on her third attempt, it might be a tough sell for the UFC.
