Ending inaugural champion Carla Esparza's brief reign at UFC 185 back in March, Polish striking expert Joanna Jędrzejczyk sought to defend her women’s strawweight title for the first time. Challenging for the belt was Jessica Penne; a former Invicta champion and TUF alum whose penchant for grappling and submissions could hold the key to dethroning the new champion.
An overnight sensation following her dominant victory to capture the belt, Jędrzejczyk’s first title defense was destined to be an intriguing one. Could the champion replicate the amazing takedown defense that was so instrumental to her victory over Esparza? Would the champion show more of her deadly, world class striking? Would the champion succeed once again with her unique brand of pre-fight mind games?
The answer to all of these questions were more-or-less answered with a resounding ‘yes’ inside of three brutal rounds.
Unwilling to stand and trade with the champion, Penne sought to take the fight to the ground from the start. Shooting for a mixture of single and double leg takedown attempts, the challenger experienced initial success with her smothering tactics, but this all changed when the champion cracked the challenger’s nose with a wicked standing elbow. Busted wide open and staggered, Penne quickly wilted under the intense striking of the champion. Calm and methodical throughout, Jędrzejczyk utilised her immense muay thai and kickboxing skills with devastating results; rocking the challenger repeatedly with a bewildering flurry of multi-layered striking combinations.
How Penne made it past the second round was a minor miracle in itself, a testament to the heart and resilience of the veteran cage warrior. Unfortunately for her however heart rarely wins fights, and referee Marc Goddard was ultimately forced to save the challenger from further punishment just midway through the third frame.
With her first title defense in the bag, Joanna Jędrzejczyk has proved herself unquestionably as a worthy champion, a reigning, undefeated 115-pound queen who might not be not be so easily removed from her position anytime soon. The UFC’s first European women’s champion looked unstoppable in this latest performance, and a showdown with the recently signed former WSOF champion Jessica Aguilar is the only fight that makes sense at this moment in time.
UFC Fight Night Main Card Results
Women’s Strawweight Championship
Joanna Jędrzejczyk © def Jessica Penne via TKO (punches and knee) in round 3
Featherweight
Tatsuya Kawajiri def Dennis Siver via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight
Peter Sobotta def Steve Kennedy via submission (rear naked choke) in round 1
Lightweight
Nick Hein def Łukasz Sajewski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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