The Ultimate Fighting Championship hasn’t announced who Valentina Shevchenko will face for the vacant women’s strawweight crown, but there’s a pretty decent chance her opponent could be former muay Thai rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Shevchenko was slated to face 125-pound champion Nicco Montano at UFC 228, but after a failed weight cut hospitalized Montano, the promotion stripped the FIT-NHB product of the title. It also revealed that Shevchenko would face an as-yet-to-be announced foe for the vacant belt, leading to speculation that a Jedrzejczyk bout could be imminent.
Speaking to reporters recently at UFC Fight Night 136 in Moscow, Jedrzejczyk said that nothing is official but hinted that the matchup could be in the works.
“This fight is not on. Of course, I’ve gotten offer but we’ll see,” Jedrzejczyk said (video by MMANytt). “I’m very open to fight Valentina Shevchenko. I always want to fight the best fighters and I think that she is one of the top female fighters in the world. [She is a] multiple world Muay Thai champion, very successful in MMA, so we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
As for Montano’s plight, Jedrzejczyk believes the UFC’s decision was justified. Montano had not defended the belt since winning it at “The Ultimate Fighter 26” finale in December.
“I think it was fair,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I paid the ultimate price but I was on weight November 2017 and I would do this the same because for me it’s a shame for us as fighters and champions to not be on weight. We need real and dedicated fighters and champions in the UFC. It’s simply the best organization in the world. Here is not a space and time for bulls—t like this.
“It was very hard decision, very tough decision, and I believe that she’s not happy but you must take this job very serious and you must be 100 percent in. Weight cuts are not easy, are not nice, but it’s part of our job so we shouldn’t complain and just be on weight when you have to be.”
Jedrzejczyk was the promotion’s strawweight champion from March 2015 until November 2017, when she suffered a shocking first-round technical knockout loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC 217. The Polish fighter dropped a decision to Namajunas in a title rematch at UFC 223 before returning to the win column against Tecia Torres on July 28.
Jedrzejczyk has history with Shevchenko, losing three times to the woman known as “Bullet” in muay Thai competition. That, however, doesn’t concern her in a potential MMA bout.
“We are different fighters. We’re not gonna meet in the ring, we’re gonna meet in the Octagon so that’s the point,” she said. “It’s a different game. We’re different people now, we’re different athletes right now, we are different fighters. So there is nothing I should be concerned about.”