Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Strawweight standouts Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessice Penne will clash this afternoon (Sat., June 20, 2015) in just a few short hours in the main event of UFC Fight Night 69 inside 02 World in Berlin, Germany.
Having already beaten the No. 1- and 2-ranked contenders in her division, Jedrzejczyk has the potential to become the next seriously dominant champion. If she can take out Penne, then she's already cleared out the top three contenders in the women's 115-pound division, which would be quite an impressive accomplishment for an athlete just 10 fights into her career.
Penne largely earned this title shot by default. Prior to Tecia Torres' win last weekend at UFC 188, she was the only member of the Top 5 coming off a victory. Nonetheless, the submission specialist will look to make the most of her title opportunity.
Let's take a look at the keys to victory for both women:
Joanna Jedrzejzyk
Record: 9-0
Key Wins: Carla Esparza (UFC 185), Claudia Gadelha (UFC on FOX 13), Julianna Lima (UFC on FOX 12)
Key Losses: None
Keys to Victory: A former Muay Thai world champion, Jedrzejzyk is without a doubt the most dangerous striker in her division. In addition, she displayed excellent takedown defense in her last fight, which will leave many future opponents stranded on their feet with Joanna "Champion."
For the most part, Jedrzejzyk's game plan will be the same for just about all of her future fights. Using her straight punches and length, Jedrzejzyk should look to keep her opponent at the end of range and punish her. Whenever her opponent does look for the takedown, Jedrzejzyk can rely on her defensive wrestling and counter elbows to deter and tire her opponent.
In this match up, Jedrzejzyk should be a little more willing to utilize her kicks than in her last bout. Unlike Esparza, it's not really Penne's style to blast through her opponent's hips; she's more of a clinch grappler. Therefore, Jedrzejzyk doesn't have to worry as much about being caught off-balance with a shot.
Speaking of the clinch, Jedrzejzyk should be prepared for her opponent to pressure her into the cage. Luckily, Jedrzejzyk's Muay Thai background will provide plenty of tools for her to attack with from that position. In addition to knees, Jedrzejzyk's elbows in close could be very effective.
So long as Jedrzejzyk is actively doing damage, wearing down and finishing her smaller opponent is not out of the question.
VS.
Jessica Penne
Record: 12-2
Key Wins: Randa Markos (TUF 20 Finale), Naho Sugiyama (Invicta FC 3), Lisa Ellis (Invicta FC 1)
Key Losses: Michelle Waterson (Invicta FC 5)
Keys to Victory: Penne is one of the best submission grapplers is the division, known for her flexibility and dangerous guard. She's also a competent striker and wrestler, though where she wants to take this bout is pretty obvious.
While Penne absolutely needs to drag this fight to the mat, she also has to set up the shot. Esparza was mauled largely because she insisted on shooting from way too far out, which exhausted her and cause her to eat plenty of shots.
Penne doesn't have the pure wrestling ability of Esparza anyway, so it would likely go even worse for her.
Instead, Penne needs to rely on her speed and conditioning. Jedrzejczyk is a large strawweight and has gotten tired before in three round fights, so if Penne is able to make her miss, she might be able to slow her opponent down.
To do so, Penne should focus on moving. Early exchanges of punches aren't going to favor her, but if she can keep her opponent working -- either by forcing her to chase or working in the clinch -- the fight could potentially shift into her favor.
As a major underdog, that's the best she can hope for.
Bottom Line: The Strawweight division is still very new, meaning a shakeup could very well happen, but Jedrzejczyk appears to be a very dominant champion.
This is another chance for Joanna Champion to display her nasty kickboxing against a grappler looking to submit her. When Jedrzejczyk gets into her rhythm, she's positively violent. If she can continue to put beatings on the women in her division, Jedrzejczyk could become a pretty big star.
On the other hand, a loss puts Jedrzejczyk in a similar position to the woman she just beat. She's only been the champion for about three months, so it would definitely sting to lose her strap so soon.
Penne is a pretty gigantic underdog, and she'll look to prove that wrong here. A former champion in the weight class below, Penne definitely has the skill set to threaten her opponent. If she does manage to win, she'll be the first woman -- to my knowledge -- that has held major belts in two different divisions.
Alternatively, a loss sends her to the back of the line. There is a silver lining though, as Penne is both expected to lose and that if a fighter were to dethrone Jedrzejczyk in the near future, Penne would not be far from another shot.
At UFC Fight Night 69, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Penne will collide in the main event. Which fighter will have her hand raised?