UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk is very comfortable in the spotlight. The Polish fighter co-headlined UFC 193 on Nov. 15 in Melbourne, Australia — the league’s first fight card to feature two women’s title bouts.
Jędrzejczyk easily defended her belt against Valerie Letourneau, while bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey fell to Holly Holm. Despite the tremendous buildup for the event, Jedrzejczyk was cool and collected beforehand.
“It’s a big deal for me, Ronda and the UFC, [but] I don’t feel extra pressure,” she said. “I feel extra motivation and power. I want to do my best.”
A self- proclaimed sneakerhead, Jedrzejczyk signed a sponsorship deal with Reebok five months ago and has been training in the brand’s ZPump Fusion. Reebok also has supplied her with everyday lifestyle shoes, including her favorite, the Classic Leather.
“I started collecting sneakers four years ago. I’ve always liked kicks, but I didn’t expect to get so addicted. I’ve got like 100 pairs. Sometimes I change my shoes three times a day.”
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The 28-year-old athlete is already contemplating a signature shoe.
“I would love to have one. It would be called the ‘JJ Champion,’” she said. “It would have white, gold and maybe black.”
Here, Jędrzejczyk talks her favorite things:
Celebrity I’d like to meet:
“Denzel Washington. I love ‘Man on Fire’ so much—it’s the only movie on my iPod when I travel.”
Favorite place to travel:
“The U.S.—I’d like to move here. I like New York, the West Coast and Miami.”
Dream car:
“White Range Rover Sport. It’s big and strong.”
My favorite polish dish:
“Pierogi, but not the typical pierogi—the one my mom makes around Christmas.”
Music I train to:
“All kinds—pop, Polish hip-hop. I like Justin Timberlake.”
Most-used iPhone app:
“Instagram. I want to give part of my life to my fans.”
