For the first time in its short history, UFC Fight Pass will feature a main-event with gold on the line, as newly crowned Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk makes her first title defense Saturday in Berlin against former Invicta Atomweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter semi-finalist Jessica Penne.
Penne is a surprise challenger to many, as she wasn’t widely thought of as the number one contender at the time, but when Berlin’s main-event fell out just over a month and a half ago, she was more than willing to answer the call on short notice to face Jedrzejczyk. The only question left to answer at this point is this; how does this one go down?
UFC Fight Night Berlin: Jedrzejczyk vs Penne Fight Preview
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC, -700 favorite)
Jedrzejczyk immediately started raising eyebrows as she burst onto the UFC scene in what was the promotion’s second ever strawweight fight. In that bout, she defeated a tough opponent in Juliana Lima, then went on to ride that momentum to a hard fought win over top contender Claudia Gadelha, which secured her a shot at champion Carla Esparza. In one of the most impressive title performances in UFC history, Jedrzejczyk blazed through the champion in under two rounds, and left many wondering if there was anyone in the division that could handle what she brings to the table.
Jedrzejczyk’s game isn’t overly diverse, but it is devastating nonetheless. Simply put, she has what I consider to be the best stand-up in all of women’s MMA. Her striking is both technical and powerful, her combinations swift and crisp, and her movement is some of the best you will see in the sport. Her ability to quickly close the distance with her strikes and dart out just as fast gives her opponents fits, as they are often left punching/grasping at air.
She leads with a very stiff jab, and throws a solid right hand behind it. She is very adept at working around opponent’s defense, setting up angles with her footwork and varying her strikes. She also has a penchant for going to the body with her punches, an aspect of the striking game that is often underutilized in our sport. Jedrzejczyk isn’t much of a kicker, but does throw a mean front kick when her opponents are outside of boxing range, and also mixes in some darting low kicks on occasion.
Her grappling game is strictly defensive, and if there is any weakness in her skill-set, it is off of her back. Jedrzejczyk’s defensive wrestling is quite good, and she is deceptively strong in the clinch, where she effectively utilizes underhooks to keep the fight standing. She has been put on her back before however, and has shown that while she is able to get back to her feet in most situations, she can be susceptible to top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners. Her endurance has never been called into question, even in bouts where she was constantly attempting to fend off grappling exchanges, such as when she fought Gadelha.
Jessica Penne (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC, +500 underdog)
Penne is a veteran of the sport, and a well traveled one at that, having competed for both Bellator and Invicta before making her way into the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter. She’s faced a bevy of notable opponents in her time, including Zoila Gurgel, Angela Magana, Lisa Ellis, Michelle Waterson, and Randa Markos. After falling just short of a spot in the inaugural Women’s Strawweight title fight, a hard fought win over Markos has presented Penne with the opportunity of a lifetime.
Jessica Penne is a well rounded fighter, but her bread and butter is undoubtedly her grappling game. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Lucas Leite, the Alliance trained fighter is very crafty on the mat, always looking for openings. She is a very opportunistic fighter and a great scrambler, and has the ability to turn a dire looking position into an advantageous one in the blink of an eye.
While her wrestling isn’t the strongest, she does utilize a variety of entries, and has surprisingly good timing on her level changes. She has the capability to chain takedown attempts together, transitioning well from the clinch to trips, or dropping down for double or single leg takedowns.
Penne is a serviceable striker, but the one glaring issue she has is that she absorbs a high volume of strikes. She isn’t the fleetest of foot, and her movement leaves a bit to be desired. She does keep a high guard, but doesn’t adjust well to her opponents adaptations, and also doesn’t display the best head movement. Despite these deficiencies, she has displayed a very solid chin, and her toughness cannot be questioned. As for her own offense, she does throw in combinations effectively, mixing in kicks with her punches. When being pressured, in the past she has utilized a rangy front teep to keep her opponents temporarily at bay.
THE FINAL PREDICTION
Oddsmakers seem to be disrespecting Penne a bit here, as she has proven in the past to be a difficult out for anyone. That being said, I don’t think this is a favorable matchup for her, and Jedrzejczyk is the rightful favorite. The champion will clearly want to keep this standing, while the challenger will most definitely want to take the fight to the mat.
The fact that Penne is more of a true 105 pound fighter competing up in weight will likely be a big factor here, as Jedrzejczyk is deceptively strong for 115 pounds, and has had success fending off more physically gifted athletes in the past in Lima and Gadelha. On the feet, it will be all Jedrzejczyk, and she should have a field day picking her shots. She must be cautious however, as Penne does have a knack for exploiting over aggressive opponents and getting the fight into her world.
I believe we see a calculated gameplan from Jedrzejczyk, and she should win this fight handily. However, I do believe that Penne has the grit and craftiness to last in this fight, having never been stopped by strikes in her career. My pick here is Jedrzejczyk by decision.
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