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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
UFC will induct Joanna Jędrzejczyk, one of the greatest female fighters of all time, into its Hall of Fame this summer, the promotion announced Saturday.
Jędrzejczyk, of Poland, will become the second woman inducted into the Hall of Fame, alongside former champion and superstar Ronda Rousey. Jędrzejczyk held UFC’s 115-pound strawweight championship from 2015 to 2017, recording five title defenses along the way. She holds the record for most significant strikes in UFC women’s history with 1,754.
Jedrzejczyk retired from the sport in 2022 following back-to-back losses to current strawweight champion Zhang Weili. She was revered as one of UFC’s fiercest competitors regardless of gender. She had a reputation of intimidating opponents during her title reign, until she surrendered the belt to Rose Namajunas in a knockout upset at UFC 217 in New York.
Following an unsuccessful bid to reclaim the belt against Namajunas in 2018, Jędrzejczyk (16-5) eventually moved up to flyweight to challenge Valentina Shevchenko. She lost that fight via unanimous decision.
Her first fight against Zhang at UFC 248 was considered one of the best fights of 2020. In addition to holding the record for most significant strikes, Jędrzejczyk holds the longest winning streak in strawweight division history with eight consecutive victories. She is also tied for the most total wins in strawweight history with 10.
Before Jędrzejczyk’s career in MMA, she was one of the most decorated fighters in women’s Muay Thai.