It has been well publicized that Joanna Jedrzejczyk has a competitive past against her opponent at UFC 231 Valentina Shevchenko in the sport of Muay Thai. All told, Shevchenko holds three victories over Jedrzejczyk in Muay Thai, and Joanna discussed what she learned from the losses in a recent interview:
“The first fight, she won the first fight it was in like 2006,” Jedrzejczyk began to MMAWeekly. “I was training only two years at that time and I went to the World Championships in Thailand and I thought that I was going to rule the world and win. It was a big lesson for me and I was back the next year and two years after. Our last two fights were pretty close. The last fight in 2008 in Korea was really close. She’s a tough chick, not only physically but mentally as well.
“Her style, she’s very strong, but her style of fighting in Muay Thai, she was very successful because she was grabbing the leg and trying to sweep you and throw you down. You don’t score points when you throw someone down in Muay Thai. The judges saw that she was stronger and they scored it, which is kind of bulls–t. Because they don’t score the takedowns because there are no takedowns. It was this kind of fight.”
Jedrzejczyk maintains that despite Shevchenko’s statements to the contrary, her history with Shevchenko is not relevant and is not affecting her. And come Saturday night in Toronto, she will be looking to create a new, grander history in the event’s co-main event:
“I’m making history,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I’m facing Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant belt in the flyweight division. That’s a big thing. Fighting for the belt, fighting for the UFC championship belt it’s a big deal. There’s not too many fighters who can do that.
“There are going to be challengers and there are going to be champions and I am doing this. I’m doing this again. It means a lot.”
“Now we are going to fight in the Octagon. Five rounds. There are more things to do to prove [yourself],” Jedrzejczyk said.
Do you believe Joanna’s past with Valentina Shevchenko is relevant to their upcoming UFC 231 bout?
