This Martial Arts Champion Loves Food and Instagram

Joanna Jędrzejczyk is a new-age Polish gladiator who is a successful fighter in mixed martial arts (MMA) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Her interests are more wide-ranging than that, however. Besides several victories in the above contests, she has found success as an Instagram influencer and appeared in films. What more can she tell us about herself?  

The Key to Success is Hard Work 

Joanna has devoted herself to martial arts from the age of sixteen — it was love at first sight. ‘Before that I was an active teenager. I played basketball and exercised in the gym. I found my way into the martial arts myself and I fell in love with them at the first training. What grabbed me the most was that I could push my limits at every training session.’ 

And Joanna is obviously succeeding. She’s been a professional fighter since 2014 and has steadily written her name into the history of the sport. She strongly recommends it to others. ‘My advice is to go into it boldly and have fun with it. My view is that it is important to do the things that make you happy.’    

Two Million Followers on Instagram 

Besides the martial arts, Joanna Jędrzejczyk is active on social networks, particularly Instagram. Joanna started to post on Instagram in 2012 and today she has almost two million followers. ‘As far as Instagram goes, I have always maintained my account myself. I’m proud of what I have accomplished.’ 

She has gained a large number of followers from all over the world thanks to her worldwide fame in combat sports. She is also aware of her other qualities: ‘I am first and foremost an athlete, but I am also a motivator. I’m a person who is strictly guided by a few rules for life. I never back down. But I try to share my life energy with other people, keep a sense of humour, and know that anyone can have a bad day.  

Joanna is not only a star of social networks. She has appeared in the Polish film Kobiety Mafii II, which tells the story of the police’s fight against drug traffickers. A biographical film about Joanne, Neporazitelná [Invincible], came out in 2021, which maps her life’s trajectory. 

A Hidden Passion for Cooking 

One lifelong struggle for Joanna is about her weight. Among other reasons, she started with martial arts because she wanted to lose a few kilos. Today Joanna fights in the lightest weight class, for which the limit is 52 kilograms. Before every bout she has to work on her weight. Besides strict discipline and shedding excess kilos, that also involves dehydration. ‘It’s been a while [since I’ve cut] to strawweight and I’m just getting older. We can’t do the weight cut the same way as last time. Our bodies are very smart. I’m not a natural strawweight’, she admitted in an interview with ESPN 

Despite repeatedly stepping onto this exhausting merry-go-round, Joanna loves good food. And it shows in her kitchen. White cabinets are brilliantly matched with a countertop made with TechniStone® engineered stone in Crystal Absolute White. Joanna’s kitchen is not very big, but the light colour suits it well and gives it a roomy, airy feel. 

What does Joanna cook most often? She loves Italian cooking best — pasta, pizza, and seafood. She clearly enjoys preparing food and the food itself! 

Joanna thoroughly enjoys cooking in her white kitchen. 

Joanna’s modern, minimalist kitchen looks clean and airy thanks to countertops made with TechniStone® engineered stone in Crystal Absolute White