Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping enjoys a reputation as a hard man, but he teared up a little watching Joanna Jedrzejczyk announce her retirement. Bisping, on his YouTube channel, described getting “emotional” watching the legend of women’s MMA retire.
“Joanna Jedrzejczyk retired in the octagon and I was getting very emotional.
It was incredible. What Joanna has done for this sport, what she has given to this sport, she came here, she’s been in so many entertaining fights, she’s given her heart and soul, she’s talked a lot of s*** along the way, she’s made a lot of money, she’s knocked a lot of people out, she’s delivered on the violence, she’s been a star.
She has been a star for the UFC and she has inspired so many female martial artists around the planet. Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s been there, done that, got the T-shirt.”
Bisping “In Tears” At Emotional Jedrzejczyk Retirement
Bisping went on to wax lyrical about Joanna’s accomplishments, pointing out the inevitability of her induction to the UFC hall of fame.
“I asked her beforehand, ‘Joanna, no disrespect, but if you lose this fight, what happens? Are you going to retire?’ And she paused. It went quiet and she thought about it for a long time and she said, ‘Maybe.’ And when someone says that it probably means that they will.
It probably means that they will, and she did. She decided to hang it up, she took here gloves off and put them down on the canvas, and I was emotional. I was almost in tears, because to see a fighter, what they give of themselves, they give a piece of their soul, a piece of their being, they leave it in the octagon.
She’s provided so much entertainment over the years. She’s going to be in the Hall of Fame, that’s without question. Without a doubt the most successful Polish martial artists, the most successful female European martial artists that we’ve ever seen.
She’s going to go on, she’s going to have a family, that’s beautiful, she’s going to try to be a businesswoman as she said, but either way, she’s leaving with her head held high and she’s going to do great things. It was amazing. Well done. Congratulations Joanna on an incredible career.”
Joanna Jedrzejczyk will retire with a 16-5 record. She held the UFC strawweight title in 2015, successfully defending it five times, and boasts the most wins in strawweight history.
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