Will Joanna Jędrzejczyk ever win a title again? (Opinion)

Joanna Jędrzejczyk's fight against Zhang Weili might have been the fight of the year and surely is the best woman's fight in UFC history. But what did Joanna Jędrzejczyk gain from what might have been the toughest fight of her career?

Not much. You could even argue that the Polish fighter lost some stock in the eyes of fans who have seen her fight since the days of Joanna Champion, a self-anointed nickname. Joanna Jędrzejczyk's demise has not been that of her skill-sets getting worse.

It's just that many women in her division have become more skillful, raising the bar in terms of the level of competition. The quick demise of Ronda Rousey after her debacle at UFC 193 was also due to this very reason.

🇵🇱. Zawsze w biało czerwonych barwach.⚪️🔴 Dumna z pochodzenia i szczęśliwa z reprezentowania naszej ojczyzny na arenie międzynarodowej.☝🏼 Dzień Flagi RP🇵🇱🦅Polish National Flag Day🇵🇱🦅 pic.twitter.com/XXGi0hEX8G

— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) May 2, 2019

Could Joanna Jędrzejczyk once again rise to the top?

While Joanna Jędrzejczyk's record in her last six fights may read two wins and four losses, we have to understand that she has lost only against the most elite of opponents. There's no shame in losing against girls like Rose Namajunas, Valentina Shevchenko, and Weili Zhang; all of whom are either former or current champions in the promotion.

But that does raise the question of whether we will ever see the 'Boogie Woman' as a champion again. Joanna Jędrzejczyk will turn 33 by the end of August in a weight class where speed is such a crucial factor of the equation.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk now finds herself in the same situation as Jose Aldo, she can beat most of the women in her division but finds herself on the wrong end when things really matter. To Jędrzejczyk's credit though, most of her fights have been exciting even when she found herself on the losing end.

It’s happening in two days!💥#UFC248 @ufc @UFCEurope @BallengeeGroup @danawhite 📸 @jeffbottari pic.twitter.com/qfXWLHaGB4

— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) March 6, 2020

Barring her first match against 'Thug Rose' where she got KO'd, Joanna Jędrzejczyk has been competitive in all her losses. She pushed 'Bullet Valentina' like no other woman has done in her reign as the flyweight queen.

Her fight against Zhang Weili could still win the Fight of the Year award during a time where UFC has produced very exciting matches. Meanwhile, she has looked like the Joanna of old in her wins during that period against tough competitors like Michelle Waterson and Tecia Torres.

This all leaves Joanna Jędrzejczyk in the most unwanted spot on the UFC roster; that of a glorified and over-qualified gatekeeper of her division.