Women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-0, 4 KOs, 1 SUB) will defend her title against Rose “Thug” Namajunas (6-3, 5 SUBs) at UFC 217 on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The main card airs live on pay-per-view starting 9 p.m. Bet on the latest UFC odds at BookMaker.eu now!
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is poised to become the most dominant women’s champion in UFC history. This Saturday, the Polish powerhouse can tie Ronda Rousey for most women’s title defenses (6) when she meets Rose “Thug” Namajunas at Madison Square Garden on the main card of UFC 217.
It’s a golden opportunity for Joanna Champion to become a star. Though she is well-known in hardcore circles, the undefeated Jedrzejczyk has yet to break out into the mainstream - despite a lively personality and one of the most exciting fight styles in the UFC. Now, she fights Namajunas - popular in her own right - on the same card as the returning Georges St. Pierre.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your betting options.
UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Joanna Jedrzejczyk -500
Rose Namajunas +385
Over/under 3.5, over -185, under +160
Matchup Preview
There’s a prevailing train of thought that this should be a cakewalk for Joanna. Why? Namajunas is not a strong enough offensive wrestler to ground the champion. And it’s a universal opinion that there’s no strawweight on the roster that can hang with Jedrzejczyk in a kickboxing matchup.
We shouldn’t go as far to say that Namajunas will be helpless in the standup phase. The 25-year old has sharpened her striking considerably since her ill-fated title shot against Carla Esparza in 2014. Once just a youthful scrapper who took wild chances in every phase, we’ve seen her evolve into a much more patient fighter at just 25 years old.
Without having to worry about takedowns, Namajunas should be able to operate in her comfort zone. A good athlete with crisp kickboxing, “Thug” knows how to keep opponents at the end of her quick, technical punch-kick combinations. Against Karolina Kowalkiewicz - a former pro kickboxer - Namajunas was winning the striking exchanges until she got overpowered in the clinch.
But Namajunas’ best weapon is her opportune submission game. While not a strong wrestler, Thug excels at snatching submission attempts in scrambles. Her flexibility and instinct allows her to chase submissions that others don’t see, and it’s led to five submission finishes in six career victories.
For all the good things we have to say about Namajunas, her chances are still slim against Jedrzejczyk. No matter how much the American has improved, expecting her to hang in a kickboxing match against a technical master like JJ is a bit much. Jedrzejczyk is basically a machine who doesn’t get tired - deadly accurate and methodically violent.
UFC Betting Tips
Namajunas’ best chance at victory is to create wild scramble and somehow hope to catch Joanna. Claudia Gadelha, the division’s best grappler, failed to do so as she focused too much on takedowns and maintaining top control. We haven’t seen too much of Joanna’s submission defense, so that could be a key weakness that Namajunas could exploit.
Still, there is a consensus that Namajunas isn’t as talented as the other challengers that Joanna has faced, like Gadelha or Jessica Andrade. Lay the price on Jedrzejczyk with confidence.
UFC Odds Pick: Jedrezjczyk to win at -500
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UFC 217 takes place on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The main card airs live on pay-per-view starting 9 p.m.
