UFC Hall of Fame 2024: Joanna Jedrzejczyk Inducted Into Modern Wing During UFC 299

UFC on Sunday (March 10) during UFC 299: O'Malley vs. Vera 2 in Miami, announced that former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame's 'Modern Wing' as a member of the Class of 2024.

Joanna will be the second female inductee in UFC Hall of Fame history after former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, while the Pole also becomes the first from the strawweight division.

Joanna will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 13th member of the Modern Wing, joining former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar as part of this year's class.

The "Modern Era" category includes athletes who turned pro on or after November 17, 2000 (when the first UFC event under the unified rules of MMA was held), are a minimum age of 35, or who have been retired for one year or more.

The 2024 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place as part of the 12th Annual UFC International Fight Week, on Thursday, June 27, at T-Mobile Arena, and will be streamed live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.

"Joanna is one of the greatest athletes in combat sports history," UFC CEO Dana White said. "Joanna is an amazing person who has been an incredible champion, ambassador, and role model for women's MMA, as well as an absolute killer inside the Octagon.

"She fought the best of the best in her division and never backed down from an opponent. Joanna is one of the toughest athletes we've ever seen, and it will be an honor to induct her into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer during International Fight Week."

A veteran of 21 fights during her 10-year professional MMA career, Joanna compiled a record of 16-5 (10-5 UFC), securing victories over former UFC strawweight champions Carla Esparza and Jessica Andrade.

Joanna made her professional MMA debut on May 19, 2021, winning her first fight via unanimous decision. She would win her next five fights across five MMA promotions for the next two years before joining UFC with a 6-0 record.

Joanna made her UFC debut on the FIGHT PASS prelims of UFC ON FOX: LAWLER vs. BROWN, which took place on July 26, 2014, at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Joanna defeated Juliana Lima via unanimous decision to continue her winning streak.

She returned to the Octagon five months later in December to face Claudia Gadelha on the prelims of UFC ON FOX: DOS SANTOS vs. MIOCIC in a strawweight title elimination bout.

Joanna defeated Gadelha via split decision to become the number-one contender of the division and face then-champion Carla Esparza at UFC 185: PETTIS vs. DOS ANJOS.

UFC 185: PETTIS vs. DOS ANJOS took place on March 14, 2015, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Tex. Joanna took control of the fight early and scored TKO in the second round to become UFC's first Polish-born champion and first female European UFC champion.

She would defend the strawweight championship five times over the next two years, setting a record for most title defenses in the division and decisively winning each fight.

Joanna would lose her next two fights against former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in the co-main events of UFC 217 and UFC 223, ending a streak of 14 consecutive victories as a professional MMA athlete.

Joanna returned to the Octagon on July 28, 2018, to face Tecia Torres on the main card of UFC ON FOX: ALVAREZ vs. POIRIER 2. She would defeat Torres via a unanimous decision and move to flyweight to vie for the vacant title against Valentina Shevchenko.

Joanna would lose to Shevchenko and return to strawweight to face Michelle Waterson-Gomez, headlining UFC FIGHT NIGHT: JOANNA vs. WATERSON on October 19, 2019, at Amalie Arena in Orlando. Fla.

She would win via unanimous decision and earn a title shot against then-UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili in the co-main event at UFC 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO.

UFC 248: ADESANYA vs. ROMERO took place on March 7, 2020, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Both athletes consistently traded punches back and forth for five rounds, with Zhang winning via split decision in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest fights in UFC history.

During the fight, Joanna landed 186 significant strikes on Zhang, which marks the third-most in UFC strawweight history. She retired in June 2022 after losing her rematch to Weili at UFC 275: TEIXEIRA vs. PROCHAZKA.

Joanna enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes several records and accolades in the UFC like most strikes landed and longes win streak among others. Here is a look at the list:

Most significant strikes landed in UFC women's history - 1,754
Most title fight wins in UFC strawweight history - 6
Highest rate of significant strikes per minute in UFC strawweight history - 6.59
Highest significant strike differential per minute in UFC strawweight history - +3.37
Longest winning streak in UFC strawweight history - 8
Tied for most wins in UFC strawweight history - 10
Recorded six of the top 10 most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC strawweight history as follows:

225 vs. Andrade (UFC 211)
220 vs. Letourneau (UFC 193)
186 vs. Zhang (UFC 248)
180 vs. Waterson - Gomez (UFC FN: Joanna vs. Waterson)
176 vs. Gadelha (TUF Finale: Joanna vs. Claudia 2)
171 vs. Kowalkiewicz (UFC 205)

Outside the Octagon, Joanna has been honored with numerous awards throughout her career, receiving Female Fighter of the Year in 2015 by MMA Junkie.

Joanna's unforgettable 2020 fight against then-UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili during UFC 248 won Fight of the Year honors from MMA Junkie, MMA Fighting, BT Sport, The Athletic, and the Fighters Only World MMA Awards.

A native of Olsztyn, Poland, Joanna began competing in Muay Thai at the age of 16. She competed in 40 amateur Muay Thai fights, compiling a 37-3 record before turning pro. Her only three losses were to future UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.

As an amateur, she captured four consecutive gold medals (2009-13) and a silver medal (2008) during the IFMA World Championships. As a professional Muay Thai and kickboxer, she fought in 31 matches, registering a 27-3 record with one draw, and became the World Kickboxing Federation's European champion in 2010.

A philanthropist in her native Poland, Joanna is an ambassador for several children's hospitals and food banks, raising funds and awareness for families in need.

Source: Press Release