Jedrzejczyk explains leaving press con early

Joanna Jedrzejczyk put on an utterly dominating performance vs. Jessica Andrade at UFC 211. At the post-fight press conference, she was asked about wrestling coach Kami Barzini, who cornered Dustin Poirier and Jedrzejczyk, and then left ATT, after a decade with the team. Tears formed in her eyes, and she left the press conference early.

Jedrzejczyk appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and explained her reaction. It turned out that in years past Barzini had complemented Jedrzejczyk, and predicted she would move to ATT. She finally did, and the results were evident Saturday when Jedrzejczyk was nearly impossible to take down and impossible to hold down.

It’s amazing how he changed my wrestling, how he changed my takedown defense, said Jedrzejczyk, as transcribed by Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. You can see that in my last fight. That’s the thing. I’d like to work with him. And he’s such a good person. He’s a master of wrestling — he’s my master. But he’s like such a good spirit. He’s like a doctor.

Before this fight, he said I’m like a lion. I felt like a lion.

They really take care of me. They’re with me all the time. They ask me how I feel after the training, before the training. We hang out together.

Jedrzejczyk says she hopes to continue working with Barzini, even if he is no longer at ATT.

Good people connect with good people and this is what happened with us, she said. Maybe I’m the baddest chick on the planet, maybe I’m the baddest woman in the Octagon, but I’m definitely emotional. I believe in people so badly and I love when people treat me the same way. It’s not just about the money.

It’s all about the right relationships with people. To all of you, remember — one day you can be a champion, you can be the richest person in the world, you can be the boss or the director of some big company, but remember the next day you can be at the beginning again. So, respect people and it’s all about the right relationships.