Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, still the longest-serving champion in the division’s history, is headed to the Hall of Fame.
During Saturday’s UFC 299 broadcast, promotion officials announced that Jedrzejczyk would be the third member of the Class of 2024. Jedrzejczyk will be inducted into the Hall’s Modern Wing.
Jedrzejczyk, from Poland, arrived in the UFC in 2014 just as the 115lb division was getting on its feet. She would remain undefeated through her first eight fights with the organization, running up her overall record to 13-0 in the process. In that span, she claimed the strawweight title after defeating Carla Esparza, then defended it five times, defeating the likes of Jessica Andrade and rival Claudia Gadelha.
She also became known by the moniker Joanna Champion, while serving as Poland’s first-ever UFC champion.
“Joanna is one of the greatest athletes in combat sports history,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a press release accompanying Saturday’s announcement. “Joanna is an amazing person who has been an incredible champion, ambassador, and role model for women’s MMA, as well as an absolute killer inside the Octagon. She fought the best of the best in her division and never backed down from an opponent. Joanna is one of the toughest athletes we’ve ever seen, and it will be an honor to induct her into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer during International Fight Week.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk finished her career with a record of 16-5, and also competed for flyweight gold, coming up short against Valentina Shevchenko in 2018. She also became known as part of one of the best fights in UFC history, opposite Weili Zhang in 2020, a bout which earned Fight of the Year honors.
All the emotions for Joanna Jędrzejczyk as she is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame 👏 #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/3uaqP9o6Qx
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 10, 2024
