Issue 190

May 2020

An epic clash for the women’s strawweight title left challenger, Joanna Jedrzejczyk temporarily disfigured.

Described by UFC president Dana White as “one of the greatest fights in MMA history,” the strawweight title clash at UFC 248 in March 2020 between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk left both fighters battered and bruised, with the Pole sporting a particularly gruesome hematoma.

Zhang won it by split decision after 25 minutes of non-stop action which stood in stark contrast to the main event non-event that saw Israel Adesanya retain his middleweight title by unanimous decision against Yoel Romero.

The Elephant Man-like swelling on Jedrzejczyk’s forehead looked bad, but she left hospital the following day showing no sign of it and was cleared to fight again as early as the following May. Moreover, the fight elicited a wave of praise on social media from professionals and pundits alike and is already being hailed as perhaps the greatest female fight of all time and 2020’s Fight of the Year.

It’s certainly proof of the superhuman levels of fitness, skill, and courage that top-level MMA inspires in both the men’s and women’s divisions.