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UFC Vegas 97 takes place Saturday, so it's time to break down the top fights, plus make DFS picks and predictions for the key matchups on the card.
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Agrees to Zhang rematch
Jedrzejczyk has agreed to take on Zhang Weili in a strawweight matchup at UFC 275 on June 11 in Singapore, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
These two competed in arguably the best women's MMA fight of all-time back in March of 2020, with Jedrzejczyk falling via split decision despite winning the overall striking battle 186 to 165. Jedrzejczyk has been on the sidelines since then, while Zhang proceeded to lose her title to Rose Namajunas and then drop the rematch later in 2021. Because this is a non-title fight, there's a chance it would only be three rounds, which likely means the fantasy scoring won't be as high as the last matchup. Nonetheless, these are two high-volume strikers still capable of putting up a solid score. At age 34, Jedrzejczyk essentially needs a win here in order to stay relevant in the strawweight title picture.
These two competed in arguably the best women's MMA fight of all-time back in March of 2020, with Jedrzejczyk falling via split decision despite winning the overall striking battle 186 to 165. Jedrzejczyk has been on the sidelines since then, while Zhang proceeded to lose her title to Rose Namajunas and then drop the rematch later in 2021. Because this is a non-title fight, there's a chance it would only be three rounds, which likely means the fantasy scoring won't be as high as the last matchup. Nonetheless, these are two high-volume strikers still capable of putting up a solid score. At age 34, Jedrzejczyk essentially needs a win here in order to stay relevant in the strawweight title picture.
Drops war to Weili Zhang
Jedrzejczyk came up just short in her quest to regain the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Weili Zhang via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 47-48) at UFC 248 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It was arguably the best women's mixed martial arts fight of all time and one that will talked about for years. Joanna was more than game and certainly had her moments but the judges appear to have gotten this one correct. Knowing full well she was giving up a ton of power in the striking game to Zhang, Joanna made a concerted effort to land with leg and body shots. For the most part, it worked. Joanna landed arguably the biggest shot of the fight -- a kick straight to Zhang's face -- but on the whole, she simply couldn't match her power. On the bright side, Jedrzejczyk's chin held up against a legitimate knockout artist and her cardio looked strong. Joanna was sporting a massive hematoma and likely a broken nose when all was said and done, but she continued to push forward to the end. Jedrzejczyk is a veteran at this point, but she legitimately raised her stock here despite the loss. It will be interesting to see what is next for Joanna. She was competitive enough on Saturday that booking an immediate rematch wouldn't be a crazy move but she's also 2-4 in her past six fights and that rarely leads to back-to-back title opportunities. Stay tuned.
It was arguably the best women's mixed martial arts fight of all time and one that will talked about for years. Joanna was more than game and certainly had her moments but the judges appear to have gotten this one correct. Knowing full well she was giving up a ton of power in the striking game to Zhang, Joanna made a concerted effort to land with leg and body shots. For the most part, it worked. Joanna landed arguably the biggest shot of the fight -- a kick straight to Zhang's face -- but on the whole, she simply couldn't match her power. On the bright side, Jedrzejczyk's chin held up against a legitimate knockout artist and her cardio looked strong. Joanna was sporting a massive hematoma and likely a broken nose when all was said and done, but she continued to push forward to the end. Jedrzejczyk is a veteran at this point, but she legitimately raised her stock here despite the loss. It will be interesting to see what is next for Joanna. She was competitive enough on Saturday that booking an immediate rematch wouldn't be a crazy move but she's also 2-4 in her past six fights and that rarely leads to back-to-back title opportunities. Stay tuned.
Looks to reclaim UFC gold
Jedrzejczyk is approximately a (+160) betting underdog for her UFC Strawweight Championship fight against Weili Zhang at UFC 248 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It's a bit surprising to see Jedrzejczyk enter as an underdog given her dominant run as the original strawweight queen, but she's now 32 years old and has lost three of her last five fights, so it's not something completely out of left field. She'll also be facing a champion in Zhang that has started her UFC run on a four-fight winning streak, most recently knocking out Jessica Andrade in August to take the belt. In addition to the massive experience edge, Jedrzejczyk will enter with a two-inch advantage in both height and reach. With this fight likely to remain almost entirely on the feet, Jedrzejczyk will have to be near perfect defensively for a full 25 minutes, but if she can avoid the power shots from Zhang, the former champ has a more-than-reasonable chance of taking a 25-minute stand-up affair on the scorecards of the judges.
It's a bit surprising to see Jedrzejczyk enter as an underdog given her dominant run as the original strawweight queen, but she's now 32 years old and has lost three of her last five fights, so it's not something completely out of left field. She'll also be facing a champion in Zhang that has started her UFC run on a four-fight winning streak, most recently knocking out Jessica Andrade in August to take the belt. In addition to the massive experience edge, Jedrzejczyk will enter with a two-inch advantage in both height and reach. With this fight likely to remain almost entirely on the feet, Jedrzejczyk will have to be near perfect defensively for a full 25 minutes, but if she can avoid the power shots from Zhang, the former champ has a more-than-reasonable chance of taking a 25-minute stand-up affair on the scorecards of the judges.
Strawweight title shot expected
Jedrzejczyk is set to fight for Weili Zhang's strawweight title at UFC 248 on March 17, Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
After falling to Valentina Shevchenko in a unanimous decision loss for the vacant flyweight championship, Jedrzejczyk returned to the strawweight division with a victory over Michelle Waterson. A former strawweight champion already, Jedrzejczyk will look to reclaim her place at the top of the division where she once defended the title five consecutive times. It wouldn't be surprising to see Jedrzejczyk enter as the betting favorite in this one, as she has height and reach advantages, plus has sustained her high-volume striking pace for a much larger sample size of fights.
After falling to Valentina Shevchenko in a unanimous decision loss for the vacant flyweight championship, Jedrzejczyk returned to the strawweight division with a victory over Michelle Waterson. A former strawweight champion already, Jedrzejczyk will look to reclaim her place at the top of the division where she once defended the title five consecutive times. It wouldn't be surprising to see Jedrzejczyk enter as the betting favorite in this one, as she has height and reach advantages, plus has sustained her high-volume striking pace for a much larger sample size of fights.
Did not break foot
Jedrzejczyk confirmed she did not break her foot after visiting a doctor Monday, Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Jedrzejczyk's foot was swollen after the second round of her fight against Michelle Waterson at UFC Tampa on Saturday and she thought that it was broken. However, she was able to continue fighting and defeat Waterson via unanimous decisioin. Although Jedrzejczyk's foot is still swollen and she will need time to recover, there will likely be a shorter recovery timeline associated with her injury than if it had been broken.
Jedrzejczyk's foot was swollen after the second round of her fight against Michelle Waterson at UFC Tampa on Saturday and she thought that it was broken. However, she was able to continue fighting and defeat Waterson via unanimous decisioin. Although Jedrzejczyk's foot is still swollen and she will need time to recover, there will likely be a shorter recovery timeline associated with her injury than if it had been broken.