Joanna Jedrzejczyk Defends Ronda Rousey as One of MMA’s Greatest Athletes

Ronda Rousey spoke with MMAjunkie for a new interview. The highlights are below:

On critics of Rousey: “I know that Ronda Rousey is one of the greatest athletes in this sport. And I don’t believe that she was focused more on the movies, and the commercials (and) photo shoots, than on training. I don’t believe that, because she became an Olympian medalist when she was very young, and I know that she knows what hard work means. So, I don’t think people should blame her for that. It just happened. MMA is a beautiful sport, but anything can happen. One fight, one submission, can finish the fight. And the same thing could’ve happened in my last fight, or in the past, or it might happen in my next fight.”

On her priorities: “It’s not easy to become a UFC champion, it’s not easy to defend the title, or become a rich person, or a popular person. But the thing is to deal with it. I hope that I’m going to stay humble. I’m going to take this seriously, because I have a good life. I have good people around me. But still, the work in the gym is the most important. Because at the end of the day, people want to see me in good shape during the fight, not on the cover of magazines, not at the commercials. I want to be remembered as one of the best and greatest fighters and athletes from Poland, not as a celebrity, or person from the covers or photo shoots. I like to do that – I like my media and sponsorship obligations, but when it’s time for it, I do this. And I believe that Ronda did this the same way. People cannot say that, because they don’t know the truth. Only she knows.”

On Rousey’s status among the best women fighters: “Ronda Rousey, she’s still a champion to me and to so many people. I like her so much and I cannot compare myself to one of the greatest – (a) still living legend. But it’s nice – it’s good to hear. With every fight, I want to put on better and better performances, and put on great fights to show people who I am.”

On her goals: “I want people to know my name more and more. I want people to know my story. I want to work more on my English, on my accent, and be able to tell people this story. Maybe in the future I will headline my own pay-per-view show. I was headlining the (UFC) Fight Night (69) in Berlin in 2015. It was my title defense (against Jessica Penne). But I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m ready to do that, but I’m happy to put on such great work, do the media and promote the pay-per-view event.”