Joanna Champion prepares to take over from Ronda Rousey
Donald Trump may occupy the headlines when he takes over the Presidency from Barack Obama in January of next year, but it's possible that the UFC universe could experience a transition of their own around the same time. This weekend will mark a year since we sat open mouthed in unison, stunned silence filling the room as we looked through our fingers at an unconscious Ronda Rousey laying in the middle of the Octagon. They say if you can make a God bleed then people will cease to believe in them. Never a truer word was spoken about the effects that defeat had on the 29 year-old. We saw the quick turn of heel from so called fans and heard of her inner battle with suicidal thoughts when she decided to share her post fight feelings during an interview on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
Then we waited patiently for signs of a comeback, decoding every statement and conjuring up false motives until October 12th of this year. During an appearence on Fox Sports 1's 'The Herd', Dana White took his napkin and wiped clean the question from the lips of every fan, journalist and fighter when he proclaimed, "The thing that everybody has been waiting for, for a good year, Ronda Rousey is back! She will fight Dec. 30 for the title, in Vegas, against Amanda Nunes." The Brazilian Nunes is the opposition who stands menacingly at the gates to the already damaged home of Rousey's legacy, hoping to exploit the year long restoration job on the doors previously blown off their hinges by Holly Holm in front of a record breaking crowd in Melbourne Australia. Finally it felt like equilibrium was beginning to return and then, after the UFC 205 weigh-ins on Friday evening we were treated to this...
Naturally in this situation there are questions which can only be answered by time however, theoretically speaking, what happens if Ronda Rousey fails to claim back the division that she dominated for so long? She has flirted and teased the idea that this could be one of her last fights, if not her last. Who on the current women's roster can step up for the UFC into the cataclysmic void which will be left by one of the promotions biggest money makers? After all, Rousey's Hollywood career must be peering through the crystal ball smoke issuing constant reminders that all is not lost with a loss. A life away from the octagon may be too hard for her to refuse after back to back disappointments.
The answer may lie with Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who improved to 13-0 at UFC 205 to remain the only undefeated champion in the UFC. This fight was her toughest yet, having to overcome being rocked by her fellow country woman. Joanna ticks every box on the superstar check-list. Firstly she's a part time gangster and a full time bad ass. This story flew under the radar in the lead up to her victory over fellow Polish sensation Karolina Kowalkiewicz but Dana White had revealed before the fight that..."Joanna wanted Karolina to sign and fight in the UFC. She told me, 'Karolina will do very well and end up getting to me. And I want to beat her.' Apparently, Karolina is really big in Poland too. Joanna wants to prove to Poland she's the undisputed best 115-pounder in the world."
Jedrzejczyk has developed the ability to sell a fight since becoming champion, offering much more than her infamous stare down technique, where she locks in so intensely that you can see her opponents soul try and escape through their eyes. Now she adds humour in the form of her little reminders on her water bottles and can even throw in a head butt when she feels the moment needs to heat up.
What sets Joanna Jedrzejczyk apart from the rest of these women however, is her fighting ability. Much like a very popular two weight world champion Irishman, not only does she talk a good game but her ability to back it up is what is most impressive. She can throw out more volume than your television, delivering strikes at such a rate they start to become a blur, almost Matrix-like. Not only does she dominate, but she does it on the biggest stages. Joanna champion may finally be able to step out from the shadow of her co-main spots at UFC 193 and UFC 205 and into the spotlight of her own mega card. In the hunt for a Ronda Rousey replacement it may finally be the time for the UFC to take Joanna Jedrzejczyk off the training wheels and give her the final push into super-stardom.
