Despite Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s insistence she’s the number one contender to Weili Zhang’s strawweight title, the champion isn’t biting yet.
Jedrzejczyk defeated Michelle Waterson last Saturday in Tampa, Florida to cement herself as a challenger to Zhang, who recently won the title from Jessica Andrade. But while some feel the Zhang – Jedrzejczyk contest seems the obvious choice, Zhang herself feels Jedrzejczyk’s star has dimmed to the point where she no longer represents a worthy challenge.
“Joanna – I don’t think she’s the fighter she used to be,” Zhang said, speaking with TMZ. “She’s nothing conditional to what she used to be. I’m not very interested.
“Definitely, she needs me more than I need her, and she’s struggling in the division to fight me. But I don’t know if I will give her the chance. I want to fight the best. I think maybe Rose [Namajunas] is also a good choice.”
Realistically, Zhang says, if she had her way, the next fight would be at 125 pounds against Valentina Shevchenko in an attempt to become a double champion.
“If I had the chance, I’d like to move up to the weight class and fight the best, and right now Valentina is one of the best,” Zhang said.
