UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau

Round 1: The pre-fight video package airs for tonight’s co-main event of the evening, as it’s time for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Valerie Letourneau. The challenger, Letourneau, makes her way to the Octagon first. The Tale of the Tape is shown and then Bruce Buffer does his thing. The round opens up with J.J. jabbing and moving in. Valerie catches Joanna coming in with a goof punch and takes her down off of it immediately. Valerie is controlling the champion on the ground. After about a minute, Joanna manages to get back to her feet. Valerie is definitely using the size advantage for her in this one. She has Joanna clinched against the cage back-first and Joanna hasn’t been able to escape. Finally, the two separate. Joanna rocks Valerie with a big shot. Valerie grabs a headlock and takes some time to recover, and is able to because Joanna can’t get herself free. The two separate and Joanna moves in but Valerie is willing to engage and she is doing a good job of holding her own in the striking department. Head kick by Valerie. The big front kick to the face that rocked Valerie might have been enough to win the round for the champion, as Valerie turned her back and was clearly in trouble after that shot. Great round.

Round 2: Joanna comes out utilizing her hand-speed in the early goings of the second round, landing a nice combination of punches and finishing up with a good leg kick. Valerie lands a nice kick to the body. Joanna picking her shots not but Valerie manages to get her up against the cage. Valerie, who has a bit of a mouse under her right eye from some elbows by the champ, lands a decent shot backing up as she lets go of the clinch. Valerie lands two nice right hands to the champion. Joanna chops away at Valerie with solid leg kicks. Valerie with a good kick to the body. Joanna throwing quick punches while showing a tight defense. J.J. starting to turn it up a bit as the second round comes to an end. She might have done enough to take the round right at the end.

Round 3: The third round begins with Joanna landing some leg kicks. Valerie rushes her and snatches her up in a clinch against the cage. Both ladies work some knees and then Joanna turns her and now she has Valerie’s back against the cage. The two separate. Joanna with some more good leg kicks and we now see that Valerie’s leg is knotting up from them. Joanna lands a few shots and then stuns Valerie with a head kick. J.J. is establishing control here in the third after two very close rounds to start the fight. Joanna continues to chop down the lead leg of the challenger, and is clearly winning this round thus far. Valerie gets in a couple of good shots in an exchange. Joanna with a nice kick to the body. As advertised. Valerie’s eye is swelling up pretty good. Her left leg is a mess as well. She still seems completely game, but she is getting beaten up right now. Joanna turns it on a bit to close out the third round.

Round 4: We enter the first of potentially two championship rounds with J.J. picking up where she left off in the third frame. Joanna is in the zone right now. Valerie is trying to bring it on a bit more here in the fourth but J.J. is simply one step ahead of her. The record-breaking crowd at Etihad Stadium just got insanely loud and they are sustaining it for what seems like forever. J.J. is scoring basically at will now. Valerie is still trying at every turn but J.J. is pretty much shutting her down at this point. Valerie will land a shot here or there, whether it be a leg kick or a punch at random, but J.J. is stacking up points all-the-while. Joanna lands a beautiful right hand as the fourth round nears a close. The horn sounds to end the fourth round.

Round 5: The fifth and final round starts off with Valerie coming out more determined. She lands a kick-punch combo and is protecting herself better when Joanna advances. Still, J.J. is in a grove and is winning the round thus far. She’s landing combinations of punches and finishing most of them with brutal leg kicks. Valerie’s face is a swollen mess and her left leg is just in shambles. Joanna is really putting an accumulated beating on Valerie throughout five rounds tonight. J.J. is opening up some more here in the fifth and final round and the crowd lets her hear it as they get super loud again. Joanna switches stances. The referee pauses the action and looks at Valerie’s eye. When the action resumes, J.J. immediately picks up where she left off, brutalizing Valerie’s leg and peppering her with punches. The horn sounds to end the final round.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Valerie Letourneau via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) to retain the UFC Women’s Strawweight title.