Marina Rodriguez is not afraid to call out The Boogeywoman by name.
At UFC Vegas 26, Marina Rodriguez was able to defeat the #9-ranked Michelle Waterson via unanimous decision in a hard-fought battle. Now that Rodriguez has won the first main event of her UFC career, she is looking to challenge the woman who has had her hand raised in more strawweight main events than anyone, that, of course being the one and only Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
“Joanna (Jędrzejczyk) is a fight that I’ve always been looking forward (to) and I think the fans are, too,” Rodriguez said at the UFC Vegas 26 post-fight press conference. “If she’s back and considering fighting again, I would be more than willing to fight her.”
Marina Rodriguez also expressed interest in possibly fighting Yan Xiaonan next if Xiaonan is victorious over Carla Esparza on May 22. The prospect of rematching Esparza again doesn’t interest the Brazilian, though, given how recently the two already fought. But from the sounds of things, it is Jędrzejczyk who is atop Rodriguez’s wish list.
It may be wise for Rodriguez not to wait around on the former strawweight queen, as Jędrzejczyk is adamant about receiving a title shot next. In fact, she has outright demanded it. The matchmakers may be able to talk Jędrzejczyk down to accepting a rematch against Zhang Weili to give her an opportunity to get that loss back in a rematch of one of the greatest fights in MMA history. But this scenario would only happen if the UFC decided not to give Zhang an immediate rematch against new champion Rose Namajunas instead.
If the UFC did decide to book a fight between Rodriguez and Jędrzejczyk, that would certainly be a fight worthy of main event billing. Even during the UFC Vegas 26 broadcast, there were comparisons made between Rodriguez and Jędrzejczyk. Such comparisons will be made much more cogently if the two strawweights come face to face for a demonstration of whose striking acumen is the superior of the two.
Do you think Joanna Jędrzejczyk should be next for Marina Rodriguez?
