UFC 275 marked the last trip to the octagon for one of the sport’s greatest stars.
Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk announced her retirement after falling to Zhang Weili in a knockout loss Saturday night.
“It’s been 20 years,” Jedrzejczyk told UFC’s Daniel Cormier after the fight. “I’m turning 35 this year. I want to be a mom. I want to be a businesswoman. I’ve been training more than half of my life. I love you guys.”
Leaving her gloves in the Octagon 👏[ @JoannaMMA | #UFC275 ] pic.twitter.com/x5rh6Uyt4Y— UFC (@ufc) June 12, 2022
Leaving her gloves in the Octagon 👏[ @JoannaMMA | #UFC275 ] pic.twitter.com/x5rh6Uyt4Y
Jedrzejczyk finishes her career with a 16-5 record, including a UFC women’s strawweight title reign from 2015 to 2017. The veteran holds the most title fights in strawweight history with nine and the most title-fight victories ever at six.
Zhang and Jedrzejczyk have a history of notable fights, facing off in March 2020 at UFC 248, with Zhang taking the victory in a thrilling split decision.
Jedrzejczyk’s announcement triggered a wave of support from the UFC community, with athletes paying tribute to the legend.
Flyweight star Casey O’Neill took to Twitter, calling Jedrzejczyk her favorite fighter of all time. Raquel Pennington also wished the UFC icon well, writing, “thank you for all the fun fights, always a fan!”
@joannamma my favorite female fighter of all time. My heart is so sad right now. Thank you for everything Joanna Champion, you made our sport better. Crying with you tonight #ufc275— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) June 12, 2022
@joannamma my favorite female fighter of all time. My heart is so sad right now. Thank you for everything Joanna Champion, you made our sport better. Crying with you tonight #ufc275