Joanna Jędrzejczyk says she’ll be the champion again by the end of the year

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk has some lofty goals for the remainder of the year. By year’s end, she expects to be the champion again.

Jędrzejczyk is scheduled to rematch fellow former champion Zhang Weili at UFC 275 in Singapore on June 11, and expects to get a title shot if she wins.

““History likes to make a circle, and it’s happening in front of us. It’s happening. I feel like it’s meant to be, you know? I’m in the right place, the right spot, right timing, I’m going to be the champ at the end of this year. The perfect scenario for me is to get a victory in Singapore on June 11th, and get back to the gym, go on a small holiday and get back to the gym and maybe fight at Madison Square Garden where I lost the belt a few years ago.”

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Carla Esparza defeated Rose Namajunas in the UFC 274 co-main event on May 7 to become a two-time strawweight champion. She also defeated Namajunas to become the inaugural women’s 115-pound titleholder in December 2014. In Esparza’s first title defense, Jedrzejczyk stopped her in the second round. A win over Weili will set Jedrzejczyk up for a rematch with Esparza.

Weili defeated Jędrzejczyk in their first meeting by split decision in March 2020. The bout earned Fight of the Year honors.