Joanna Jedrzejczyk defeated Michelle Waterson via unanimous decision Saturday in a pivotal women's strawweight matchup to cap UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida.
All three judges scored the bout 50-45, giving Jedrzejczyk just her second win in five fights. The former champion was returning to strawweight after unsuccessfully challenging Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title in December 2018.
In her post-fight interview, the Polish star angled for a fight against recently crowned strawweight champion Zhang Weili.
"Weili, who is the real queen?" she said. "Bow down, bow down. I am the real queen. Dana (White), I'll call you in a minute."
Jedrzejczyk struggled to cut weight leading up to the Waterson fight but showed no ill effects once the bell rang. She landed 180 significant strikes, the most of any fighter on the card, and threw numerous leg kicks at her bloodied opponent.
Jedrzejczyk entered the fight ranked fifth among strawweight contenders, while Waterson came in as the seventh-ranked contender.
UFC Tampa main card results
Winner | Loser | Method |
---|---|---|
Joanna Jedrzejczyk | Michelle Waterson | UD |
Cub Swanson | Kron Gracie | UD |
Niko Price | James Vick | KO (upkick) |
Amanda Ribas | Mackenzie Dern | UD |
Matt Frevola | Luis Pena | SD |
Eryk Anders | Gerald Meerschaert | SD |