It is the end of an era for one of the most dominant female fighters in mixed martial arts history.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk, the former UFC women’s strawweight champion, has officially notified the UFC of her decision to step away from the sport at the age of 35, according to numerous reports online. The Polish fighter has initially stated her intention to step away from the sport following a knockout defeat to Zhang Weili in Singapore last summer but had remained a part of the UFC’s drug-testing program — until now.
According to MMA Fighting, Jedrzejczyk had contemplated making a return to action but suffered a shoulder injury which required surgery and prompted her decision to notify UFC officials that her career was officially over.
Jedrzejczyk retires with a 16-5 record, as well as five defences of the strawweight title she held between 2015 and 2017 before she was defeated by Rose Namajunas in New York in late 2017.
In addition to Jedrzejczyk, 35-year-old middleweight Ian Heinisch has also confirmed his decision to retire from MMA. The American hasn’t competed in the UFC for over two years, and was in the midst of a 1-4 run in the promotion.
