Carla Esparza might be scared - Joanna Jędrzejczyk says Zhang Weili "deserves the title shot"

Joanna Jędrzejczyk recently gave her pick for UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza's next opponent.

In a recent interview with The Schmo, Jędrzejczyk opined that Zhang Weili deserves a title shot against current champ Carla Esparza. However, the 34-year-old Polish fighter also stated that Esparza has the right to choose her next opponent.

Speaking of Esparza's potential next fight, Jędrzejczyk had this to say:

"I don't know. It's her choice, her decision. Matchmaker is Dana but we've been told that one of us, the winner of our fight, mine and Weili, was going to be the next challenger...for the UFC strawweight belt. So, definitely, Weili Zhang deserves the title shot and I know that Carla might be scared but it's her choice you know, it's her choice."

You can check out Joanna Jędrzejczyk's full interview with The Schmo below:

Jędrzejczyk faced Weili Zhang in a highly anticipated women's strawweight matchup at UFC 275. Zhang dominated the fight and defeated the former strawweight champ in a brutal knockout. It has been highly speculated that Zhang will get a title shot after her stunning win over Jędrzejczyk.

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Joanna Jędrzejczyk opens up about her retirement

Jędrzejczyk fought against Weili Zhang and faced her second consecutive loss against the Chinese fighter at UFC 275. After a devastating loss, Jędrzejczyk announced her retirement and sent the entire MMA world into a frenzy.

The Polish star is one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of the strawweight division of the UFC. She held the strawweight belt from 2015 to 2017 with five successful title defenses in her career.

In a recent interview with Damon Martin of MMA Fighting, Jędrzejczyk opened up about her recent retirement announcement and had this to say:

"I always wanted to retire on my rules. I don't want to be this gatekeeper you say, yeah. I don't want to be this legend who is going to fight forever and forever and get beat up. That's the thing. I accept where I am at, you know. What my age is you know."

The former UFC women's strawweight champion continued:

"The craziest thing about it is that it was the best camp in my life. I was in the best shape ever. Stronger physically, mentally than before. That's the craziest thing because I'm still having so much love for this sport. And I don't want to leave."

You can check out Jędrzejczyk's full interview with Damon Martin of MMA Fighting below: