Opinion: The Polish Play

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Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

In the history of women’s MMA, only two fighters have functioned as genuine drawing cards: Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey.

This isn’t intended to disrespect the many accomplished female fighters who have made their marks over the years. Cristiane Justino took it to Carano in Strikeforce and has headlined many events for Invicta Fighting Championships since; and Miesha Tate is a popular competitor who has held her own in the TV ratings when placed in a prominent position without Rousey. However, as far as carrying the promotion of a successful event, the list still remains at two.

Women’s MMA -- more than men’s MMA to this point -- is driven by personalities. Carano’s appeal did not transfer to Justino when “Cyborg” won their fight, a point the Brazilian has never fully seemed to grasp. When Rousey retires from MMA competition, her successor will have nothing resembling her star power. That heightened importance of individual personalities won’t necessarily always exist for women’s MMA, but it will take time to change. The bigger Rousey gets, paradoxically it may become harder for the women who follow her.

UFC 193 on Saturday in Melbourne, Australia, is in many senses a sure thing. The combination of Melbourne being ravenously hungry for a major Ultimate Fighting Championship event and Rousey’s lofty pop culture status will ensure one of the biggest live-event spectacles in UFC history. That will only add to the mystique of Rousey, who will be credited for the sterling attendance by the larger sports media, even if the original Robbie Lawler-Carlos Condit main event also would have drawn the same crowd.

In a way, the UFC got lucky because Rousey headlining the event will get more attention for the impressive attendance and will enhance her stature to casual fans who might not have noticed if it was headlined by someone else. Even if there isn’t the same interest going in as there was for Rousey’s grudge match with Bethe Correia at UFC 190, the big crowd on the other side of the world will heighten her star power coming out of the fight.

The event is also a sure thing as far as any result working out well. Rousey is the prohibitive favorite against Holly Holm for good reason, as there is a huge gulf of difference between the ground games of the two women. However, if Holm were able to pull off the massive upset, that would work out fine, too. It would set up a huge rematch that would likely be the biggest fight to date of Rousey’s career.

The one big question heading into UFC 193 doesn’t relate to the live event or either of the fighters in the headliner. Rather, the big question of UFC 193 is whether the Ultimate Fighting Championship can successfully elevate its best current hope for creating the third superstar of women’s MMA: Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

On the surface, Jedrzejczyk has some factors working against her becoming a big-name attraction. Her name is famously hard to pronounce, to the point it has been used by UFC as a point of comedy; her English isn’t perfect; she competes at 115 pounds, a new division without a notable history or a host of recognizable names to compete against; and she’s not marketed as a sex symbol: It’s unfortunate this has to be brought up, but this has unquestionably played a role historically in the marketing of female athletes in individual sports, whether we like that reality or not.

If anyone is fixated on those individual factors and discounting Jedrzejczyk, however, they’re missing the forest for the trees. Jedrzejczyk has the qualities to catch on big with the larger UFC fan base, and the promotion was wise to make her the co-headliner underneath Rousey. She’s a potential star in the making.

The first thing Jedrzejczyk has going for her is obvious: She’s a dynamic and exciting fighter inside the cage. Remarkably, for all the dominance Rousey has exhibited throughout her MMA career, it is Jedrzejczyk who is the bigger betting favorite at UFC 193. That speaks to how dominant Jedrzejczyk has been in her own right, with fierce striking that has led her to an undefeated record. Her brutal destructions of Carla Esparza and Jessica Penne were sights to behold, and the female Mike Tyson moniker often attached to Rousey stylistically applies more to Jedrzejczyk.

Beyond her success as an athlete, Jedrzejczyk has a charming personality that will suit her well as fans get to know her better. Her quirky sense of humor and engaging smile are endearing traits. They are also distinctive. She doesn’t just blend in with other fighters but rather stands out as her own person. That’s not always the case with elite athletes, and it plays to her advantage.

Her likable personality hasn’t hindered her ability to sell fights, either. She has talked trash and engaged in playful banter with many of her opponents. She presented “Cookie Monster” Esparza with a cookie at weigh-ins, while offering Penne a penne pasta necklace. She loves the pre-fight face-off and generally gets into building interest in her fights as much as she enjoys taking the fight to her opponents.

There is no doubt that the lion’s share of interest will be focused on Rousey’s title defense against Holm at UFC 193. The UFC’s hope is that Jedrzejczyk can piggyback on that attention and that this will be the first step in the establishment of a new female superstar. There are no guarantees that will happen, but nobody has made money betting against Jedrzejczyk yet.