The comparisons are almost undeniable. When she steps into the Octagon for the 15th time in her career as the co-main event of UFC 223 in Brooklyn, New York, Joanna Jedrzejczyk will have to shake off the lingering shadow of Ronda Rousey.
Jedrzejczyk is coming off a convincing first-round TKO loss to up-and-comer Rose Namajunas at UFC 217 in November. Now, she's stepping back in with redemption on her mind and not worrying about how the first fight played out.
"It was not hard. I'm a real fighter. I'm taking care of my business from the beginning to the end," Jedrzejczyk told CBS Sports' "In This Corner" podcast. "I used to say so many times that I wanted to retire undefeated but it happened. I am happy. I'm just more rich because of the experience and now I will show to people it doesn't matter what is happening in your life. Take your life in your hands and go through and I will win. That's the thing, I was happy that I could show to people how I felt. Like I said, take care of your business from beginning to end. This is who I am."
Can't get enough UFC? Subscribe to my podcast In This Corner with Brian Campbell where we break down everything you need to know in the Octagon.
The first fight felt odd from the jump. Jedrzejczyk seemed to spend more time trying to play mind games with Namajunas, but Namajunas never took the bait, eerily similar to the way Rousey tried to get in Holly Holm's head before their 2015 fight. When she failed to get the mental edge on her challenger, it felt like everything fell apart even though she disagrees with the mind games.
"No. No. I was so respectful to Rose for the whole camp in the fight. The weight cut impacted my performance," she said. "I know that people don't believe that but I will prove them wrong on April 7 that I am still the real deal."
After the loss, the comparisons to Rousey were abound, but Jedrzejczyk wanted nothing to do with the topic.
"Please, don't compare me to Ronda Rousey," Jedrzejczyk said. "I love her so much and we have a good relationship but please let's put this b---s--- away."
The problem for the pride of Poland is that those comparisons will still linger around during the buildup to the rematch. Jedrzejczyk is coming off her first professional loss -- as was Rousey when she lost to Holm in 2015 when she prepared to take on Amanda Nunes in 2016.
Rousey entered her match with Nunes has a solid favorite in Vegas, and Jedrzejczyk is currently tracking that way. Both can be considered pioneers of the sport for women as they did so much to bring attention and meaning to MMA with their lengthy title reins.
More UFC 223: Full fight card | New main event | Rose's chance at history | Odds
She isn't taking a year off in between fights, but for a fighter that relied heavily on gaining a mental edge on her opponents, what will change for the rematch?
"It's all about the trust. I must trust people who are in my team but I know that I must expect more from them and I must expect more from myself," Jedrzejczyk said. "There is not a place for mistakes, even a single small mistake. This camp went smooth and well and there is not going to be a mistake made before this fight. So that's the thing."
Jedrzejczyk has become a bulldog in her last four bouts before the loss to Namajunas, earning consecutive unanimous decision wins over Jessica Andrade, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Claudia Gadelha and Valerie Létourneau. Each win seemed to take more away from her opponents as she had a tenacious style of closing down their strengths -- specifically Andrade, who has been nothing short of brilliant in the Octagon over the last three years.
Jedrzejczyk seemingly bullied her around the ring before the final bell rang for another win and title defense for the champion.
The problem is that while her track record is incredibly tough to argue with, getting an immediate rematch for the title can feel like a trap sometimes. Believe me, I fell for it with Rousey ahead of the Nunes fight. I thought the long layoff and seclusion would refocus her on the title and help get rid of the distractions.
It certainly did not.
Now, Jedrzejczyk is getting an immediate rematch against Namajunas and keeps insisting the first fight was a fluke. And as she herself notes, very few former champions have been able to reclaim their titles after suffering defeats.
"There is not so many of them! There is not so many of them! And I can be one of them to reach the top after the slip and get back to the top. That is a great thing. This victory is going to be bigger than my last fight in UFC."
One thing is for certain though. If Jedrzejczyk is unable to prove what she claims this go round, there will be more questions and comparisons to the woman she doesn't want to be associated with in the history of this sport.
