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Marina Rodriguez has taken a jibe at former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk after defeating Mackenzie Dern at UFC Fight Night 194.
The 34-year-old MMA stalwart from Brazil opened up on multiple topics during the post-fight press conference. Addressing her next matchup, Rodriguez stated the following via a translator:
“Yeah, honestly, like, Joanna already said that she doesn’t want to fight me. And let’s be honest, she shouldn’t even be ranked anymore at this point because she’s been out of action for so long. And, you know, if she doesn’t want to fight me, I guess, I don’t want to fight her. The problem’s like she’s holding a very important spot in the rankings. And there’s so many girls there fighting, you know, twice a year, three times a year, trying to get to that. And that spot is locked.”
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She continued:
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“So, if it’s not her, Yan Xiaonan would be a good fight. She’s ahead (in the rankings) anyways. So, that’s how I have to keep moving, you know, just keep moving forward. And if the (UFC women’s strawweight) title fight happens, and they wanna defend quickly, give it to Carla (Esparza) after that, and then maybe I can fight (Esparza) again. Cool. If not, then just give me someone else, and we’ll keep on moving.”
A rematch against Carla Esparza and/or fights with Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Yan Xiaonan could be next on the cards for Marina Rodriguez. Nevertheless, the latter’s aim appears to be clear.
Marina Rodriguez is currently on a three-fight win streak. She has consistently indicated that her sights are set on capturing the UFC women’s strawweight belt, regardless of who she has to face inside the octagon.
You can catch Marina Rodriguez’s statements in the video below:
Is a Marina Rodriguez vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk fight on the horizon?
Presently, it is unclear whether the No. 2-ranked UFC women’s strawweight Joanna Jedrzejczyk will return to the octagon.
Jedrzejczyk’s most recent fight was a closely contested split decision loss to Zhang Weili in their UFC women’s strawweight title fight at UFC 248 in March 2020. Jedrzejczyk has not competed in a professional MMA bout since then.
Meanwhile, the No.6-ranked Marina Rodriguez doesn’t necessarily need a win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk to propel herself into a title fight. That win would do wonders for Rodriguez’s title aspirations and her resume as a whole, though. Whether or not the fight actually comes to fruition is likely to unravel in the days to come.
