UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk successfully retained her title with a brutal third-round stoppage victory tonight at UFC Fight Night 69: “Jędrzejczyk vs Penne” in Berlin, Germany. Jędrzejczyk battered and bloodied Jessica Penne en route to a dominant TKO triumph.

Once again showcasing her much-improved takedown defence, Jędrzejczyk repeatedly thwarted Penne’s efforts to take the fight to the mat. On the feet, she picked the former Invicta FC champion apart with vicious elbows, head kicks and punching flurries until the one-sided fight was finally waved off.

Jędrzejczyk (10-0-0) started quickly with combinations and lead left hooks early on that forced Penne (12-3-0) to clinch in search of a takedown. Jędrzejczyk defended well, and she scored with some nice elbows in close. She reversed two takedowns later in the round and dropped Penne with a big right hand. Penne turtled on the ground as Jędrzejczyk swarmed on her with more punches, but she got back to her feet and threw Jędrzejczyk to the mat just as time expired.

After scoring with punches and head kicks early in round two, Jędrzejczyk changed the course of the fight with a crushing standing elbow that opened a severe gash on the bridge of Penne’s nose. Penne backpedalled to the cage as blood poured out of the cut and Jędrzejczyk blasted her with more big punches. She kept Penne on the defensive throughout the rest of the round by landing hard punches, elbows and knees, but a badly-bloodied Penne managed to survive until the bell.

Jędrzejczyk opened round three with a variety of kicks and she targeted Penne’s damaged nose with punches that once again left Penne a bloody mess. Penne attempted two takedowns and she briefly dragged Jędrzejczyk down on her second try, but Jędrzejczyk quickly returned to her feet and she resumed her striking assault. She backed Penne up with punches and head kicks, then landed a final flurry and a knee to the face that forced referee Marc Goddard to wave off the fight.

Following tonight’s dominant win, Jędrzejczyk was asked about future title challengers. She stated that she was ready for anyone and that nobody will be taking her title belt away from her. Jędrzejczyk’s performance earned praise from many members of the UFC roster, including some who labelled her as the best striker in the UFC today.

Winner: Joanna Jędrzejczyk by TKO (Punches & Knee) at 4:22 of round three. She improves to 10-0-0 and remains the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.

(Photo Credit: UFC)