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Former UFC strawweight champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is all set to battle the current 115-pound contender, ‘The Karate Hottie’ Michelle Waterson in a cracker of a main event on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 161 in Tampa, Florida.
Much more than just a fight
The winner of this fight is expected to move on to face the reigning UFC strawweight champion, Weili Zhang who captured the title with a destructive first-round KO of former champion, Jessica Andrade at UFC Shenzhen. However, as far as Jedrzejczyk is concerned, she can already envision having her hand raised against both Waterson and Zhang and in an interview with MMA Fighting, she said that she believes that even without the title to her name, she is still the champ.
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“I know I will step into the Octagon with Weili Zhang to fight for the title and I don’t even see her defending the belt once. People say to me, ‘but you’re not the champ anymore.’ I’m still the champ, of course I’m the champ. Even if I don’t have the belt physically, I’m still the champ.”
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The main event is on
The fight was jeopardized because it was being speculated that Joanna would most likely fail to make weight but Joanna was prompt to shut her critics up, weighing in at 115.5 lbs at the official weigh-ins earlier today. The same has been confirmed by ESPN journalist Ariel Helwani via a post on Twitter that announced that ‘The main event is on’.
Jedrzejczyk is looking to shake off a horrendous run of three straight losses, including a failed move to the flyweight division, where she was beaten by the UFC lightweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko via unanimous decision.
Her opponent Waterson however, is on a hot streak, having picked up three straight wins on the trot. She also dominated former title contender, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, back in March. With the bout scheduled for five rounds, this contest is going to be nothing short of explosive.
To see the rest of the card at UFC Fight Night 161 this Saturday in Tampa, Florida, click here.
Who do you think clinches what promises to be a thrilling main event? Please let us know in the comments section below.
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