Jessica Aguilar: Joanna Jedrzejczyk Is Great, But One-Dimensional

When former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) strawweight champion Jessica Aguilar (19-4) signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), she was expected to be matched up with a top tier 115-pound bruiser. She will get one when she meets Claudia Gadelha (12-1) at UFC 190 on Aug. 1, 2015 in Brazil.

Not only is “JAG” being thrown straight into the fire for her UFC debut, but she also has to compete on her opponent’s home turf. Aguilar tells MMAJunkie.com that she thrives off moments like these:

“I love it. That’s what I’m asking for. This is what I wanted, that’s why I’m the number one strawweight in the world and I’m going to prove it. I love to be thrown in the lion’s den, I love to be challenged. I’m very excited to be traveling to Brazil and competing against Claudia. It’s going to be a great matchup and I’m ready.”

Aguilar says her bout with Gadelha has the potential to go anywhere. Whether it be on the feet or on the ground, the former WSOF title holder says she is comfortable wherever the fight goes.

“I think I’m a more well rounded fighter than Claudia is and my standup is much stronger. I think you’ll be seeing a lot of boxing, but you’ll also be seeing a lot of ground. You’ll also be seeing a lot of wrestling. There’s going to be a lot of back-and-forth, a lot of transitions. I think this is a great matchup.”

Back at UFC on FOX 13, Gadelha came up short in a razor-thin split decision loss to current UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. While “Claudinha” gave Jedrzejczyk all she could handle, Aguilar says she feels the champion isn’t a jill-of-all-trades:

“Joanna’s a great standup fighter, but only one-dimensional. She has great takedown defense, but we haven’t seen it on the ground.”

“JAG” wasn’t all down on the 115-pound ruler:

“I think she’s a great champion, she’s done her job well. (She has) strong standup, very strong and I think that would be a great matchup as well. With the right strategy, anybody can be beaten.” 

UFC 190 will feature undefeated UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (11-0) defending her title in hostile territory when she battles Bethe Correia (9-0). The event will also feature a 205-pound contest between former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (22-10) and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (21-6).