Joanna Jedrzejczyk will not be fighting outside the UFC in the near future.
The former strawweight champion revealed to MMA Fighting on Thursday that she has inked a new six-fight contract with the UFC as her current deal neared its end.
“It is a multi-fight deal,” Jedrzejczyk explained to MMA Fighting. “I always said that I want to retire in the UFC, and of course people would love to see me doing this or that after, but I feel like if I retired from MMA, I would retire from the UFC, the best MMA league in the world.
” I don’t wish to travel and compete for more money. Money is not everything. Although I have enough saved for my family, my children, and my grandchildren, it is not all about money. You need to have this pride in you and you have to know what to do and how to prioritize some things. This is how I try to accomplish .”
Jedrzejczyk announces the new contract by presenting her fight against Zhang Weili, who is currently No. 2 fighter at 115 pounds in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings — as part of the UFC 275 card taking place in Singapore on June 11.
After her battle with Zhang in March 2020, Jedrzejczyk stated her desire to remain with the UFC with a better contract. Jedrzejczyk expressed concern about Jedrzejczyk’s long-term health despite not intending to leave the promotion. This was despite the fact that she received less compensation in the UFC.
Now those issues have been put to rest under the terms of her new deal, which Jedrzejczyk negotiated along with the date for the rematch with Zhang.
” I am happy right where I am,” Jedrzejczyk stated. It’s more than just the amount of money that I get to fight. I also get some bonus and exposure. I want to find ways I can help make this work in order for me get more connections, business relationships.
“This is how I look at it. Each sponsorship agreement I sign is not just about the numbers. The exposure they are going to get is what I pay attention to. This includes how much they plan to spend, where they would like to place my face and body, as well as whether it will be on billboards, television, or other media. I always calculate and see these things. It’s not just about the zeroes, it’s about the investment from the other side. I am very content right now
Jedrzejczyk is widely considered one of the greatest strawweight fighters in history with the longest reign as UFC champion in the division after five consecutive defenses of the belt.
Over her past four fights, Jedrzejczyk has gone 2-2 while making a one-time jump up to 125 pounds for a five-round title fight against Valentina Shevchenko. She returned to 115 pounds after that matchup and promptly picked up a win over Michelle Waterson, which led to her title bout with Zhang at UFC 248 that was almost universally recognized as the Fight of the Year in 2020.
Jedrzejczyk looks to put herself back in title contention again with the rematch against Zhang now scheduled for UFC 275.
