Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has cleared the air on retirement speculation.
Jedrzejczyk was last seen in the Octagon back in March at UFC 248. She had a “Fight of the Year” contender against Weili Zhang. Jedrzejczyk fell short in her bid for another run with the 115-pound gold, dropping a split decision.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk Dismisses Retirement Rumors
Jedrzejczyk spoke to Peter Carroll and Niall McGrath on The Bash and addressed the retirement talk (h/t BJPenn.com).
“No, I’m not retired, man,” Jedrzejczyk told Peter Carroll and Niall McGrath on The Bash MMA podcast, addressing the rumors of her retirement. “I’m not.”
Talk of retirement was actually started by Jedrzejczyk herself. The former strawweight queen posted an image on Instagram. One of the hashtags was “#33andretired.”
Jedrzejczyk will turn 33 in August but it appears fans have no reason to fret. She went on to say that it’s risky for her to return to America at this time due to COVID-19.
“I feel like I’m retired,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I can’t go back to the state because of the COVID situation. Mikey Brown, my main coach, got sick. My teammates sick. So it’s very risky to go back to the states, and I don’t see myself preparing for my next fight in a different place than American Top Team in Coconut Creek.”
American Top Team owner Dan Lambert has expressed his belief that Jedrzejczyk will only return to the Octagon if a title is on the line. In the past, Jedrzejczyk has said at this stage in her career, she wants all of her bouts going forward to be meaningful.
