UFC 217: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas Odds and Prediction

Joanna Jedrzejczyk will defend the UFC women’s strawweight title against Rose Namajunas in one of the three massive title fights slated for UFC 217 at the Madison Square Garden in New York on November 4th, 2017.

Jedrzejczyk has been on a dominating reign as UFC women’s strawweight champion. She is unbeaten in 14 total MMA fights and has successfully defended her belt five times since defeating UFC  women’s strawweight inaugural champion, Carla Esparza. That’s an impressive feat by itself, but Joanna has no plans in slowing down.

Solid Favorite

Namajunas has won four of her last five bouts and is coming off a 2nd round submission win over Michelle Waterson last April. The UFC’s 4th ranked female strawweight fought for the inaugural title in 2014 but lost to Carla Esparza. She hopes to win the belt in her second attempt but will be hard-pressed to do so against one of the top fighters in the UFC.

Jedrzejczyk is a staggering -600 favorite at Bovada and other UFC betting sites, while her challenger who is currently at +400. Jedrzejczyk needs no introduction. She is the best pound for pound female fighter in the UFC today. A former Muay Thai and Kickboxing world champion, Jedrzejczyk uses her legs and knees better than most fighters on the circuit.

Deadly Ground Game

Joanna is a highly efficient striker with great accuracy and a good boxing background. Although most of her fights have ended in a decision, she definitely can finish off her opponent. If this fight stays on the feet, Jedrzejczyk will be unbeatable.

Despite the fact that she doesn’t have a knockout under her belt, Namajunas can hold her own in striking. She is a pressure fighter who likes to mix her jabs with kicks. But what makes Namajunas deadly is her ground game. Five of her seven wins have come via submission. With her upper body strength and long legs, she is dangerous when she gets position on the canvass. One thing you’ve got to watch out for is her going for that rear naked choke.

Has Passed The Test

With her skill-set, Namajunas could be the kryptonite for Jedrzejczyk. If she takes the champion down, she won’t just take her off her biggest strength which is striking, but Rose will have the opportunity to win because she is an excellent submission artist.

But it’s hard to go against someone who is perhaps the best female fighter out there today. Jedrzejczyk has beaten every challenger that has been thrown at her and has passed the test against excellent submission artists like Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Penne. She’s going to keep this fight on the feet and outstrike Namajunas all night long.

We’re picking Joanna Jedrzejczyk to win this one by unanimous decision.