Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas
Long-time women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk was ruthless in the way she attempted to engage in mind games with Rose Namajunas at UFC 217 last year.
“You know what? You’re not strong mentally,” Jedrzejczyk told her rival during a pre-fight media call. “You are mentally unstable, and you are broken already, and I will break you in the fight.
“I think you have some personal problems, and I will show you what your problem is. You’re never going to be a champion.”
This was considered a deeply personal attempt to get at Namajunas given her background, which included her late father having suffered from schizophrenia, but ‘Thug’ didn’t rise to the bait.
“Joanna can say I’m mentally unstable and this and that — and she might be right,” Namajunas said. “I have a history of it in my family. I think that’s what makes me so great of a fighter. I’m crazy as hell.”
Nevertheless, Jedrzejczyk continued to hound Namajunas at every opportunity, though even during the pre-fight staredowns, Namajunas remained emotionless in the face of her rival’s taunts.
On fight night it was the same story right up until the opening bell rang, at which point Namajunas stunned her rival by repeatedly beating her to the punch and flooring her. Jedrzejczyk rose back up, but was soon felled again, with the finish coming soon after barely three minutes into the fight – ending the Polish fighter’s long title reign.