Joanna Jędrzejczyk is one of the biggest names in WMAA, but she believes there is one woman who will eclipse her and everyone else in terms of star power.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk is the former strawweight queen, with five successful title defenses on her résumé. Along the way and beyond, she has amassed over two million social media followers and has become one of the most recognized faces in all of WMMA.
Even still, Jędrzejczyk is giving credit to another woman as the biggest future name of WMMA. Often considered to have one of the healthiest egos in the sport, Jędrzejczyk humbly expressed that not only will there be another female fighter with a bigger name than herself, but that she won’t even be the biggest female star out of her own gym of American top Team.
That’s because of the bright future she sees ahead for ATT teammate and current free agent Kayla Harrison.
“I don’t know what’s good for her. I know she’s smart. She’s super-big inspiration to all of us,” Jędrzejczyk told Helen Yee Sports when discussing Harrison’s free agency. “This is what I love—when someone is focused on the prize. And she’s definitely one of the hardest-working athletes in the gym in general.
“She’s (a two-time) Olympian. And she’s special, and it’s good to have her here. She’s tough physically, mentally, she doesn’t give up, and she deserve to get paid. She’s already, but soon, she’s going to be the name Of women’s MMA.”
Kayla Harrison remains a free agent, and Jędrzejczyk is as much in the dark as the rest of the general public as to what Harrison’s next move will be. It had seemed as though a fourth year in the PFL was a lock for Harrison, but those talks recently hit a snag. Thus, all major promotions are on the table for the Olympian judoka, including Jędrzejczyk’s home of the UFC.
“I would love to see her in the UFC, but like I said, she has to get paid,” Jędrzejczyk continued. “She won PFL two times. She won a million bucks a few times, you know? She doesnt’ have to fight for small money. She always brings the extra attention. She always perform very well. So she needs to get paid, and I feel the UFC should consider having Kayla Harrison.”
Kayla Harrison is currently 12-0 in her MMA career, with every fight taking place in the Professional Fighters League. Both Bellator and the UFC have expressed interest in signing Harrison, and Harrison herself has stated that she is tired of the free-agency process. Therefore, it could be any day now when we find out where Harrison will take her services and star power as she helps lead WMMA into the future.
