Jessica Penne didn’t exactly dream of becoming a fighter
Jessica Penne didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a fighter. She wouldn’t close her eyes while she lay in bed at night and dream of hoisting a championship belt over her head.
Becoming a mixed martial artist was, as she says, “simply the natural progression of things.”
She started in jiu-jitsu, one thing led to another and the next thing she knew, she was fighting for a living.
“I just followed my heart and this is where I wound up,” she said.
Now, she’s got one world title belt in her trophy case and looks to add one in a second division Saturday, when she challenges champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the strawweight title in Berlin in the main event of a card streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
Penne is an 8-1 underdog, but is hardly daunted by the challenge. Though she professes great respect for Jedrzejczyk, she said she didn’t fly to Germany to be a sacrificial lamb.
Jedrzejczyk was brilliant in dismantling Carla Esparza to win the title at UFC 185 in March, Penne conceded, but it’s not as if she’s unbeatable.
“She’s a high-level striker, no question about it,” Penne said of Jedrzejczyk. “And she did a great job in the fight with Carla. Carla didn’t really have a great game plan going in, though. She didn’t set anything up and she just really left herself open for all the shots she took, and Joanna capitalized on it as any experienced striker would.
“I think Joanna’s a good fighter, but I don’t feel she’s grown into the MMA game.”
Penne briefly held the Invicta FC atomweight title and thus knows what it takes to win a championship. But she lost the belt in her first defense, a defeat to Michelle Waterson that still stings.
The atomweight division has a 105-pound weight limit, while strawweight is 115, but Penne says she’s developed with her new division.
She admitted to trepidation at first, but says the transition has been smooth.
“I knew my skill set would carry me far, but I wasn’t sure how I would fare at 115 pounds size-wise and the muscle it would take,” she said. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to put on the muscle it would require. But I was happy to find out that once it came, it felt very natural and I was a stronger and more explosive fighter than I was at 105.
“And being in [The Ultimate Fighter] house [on Season 20], I got a very good feel for what it takes and how I would do in this division. There were a diverse group of fighters and styles and I saw what was necessary to win and I feel I’m right there where I need to be.”
As she’s on the verge of a title in a second weight class, she’s better equipped to deal with it now than she was when she won her first title at Invicta FC 3 on Oct. 6, 2012.
She’s a smarter, more knowledgeable fighter now than she was in those days and understands the fine line between being a champion and being a contender.
That is why she is so relaxed despite fighting for the title on the road. It figures to be a pro-Jedrzejczyk crowd, with the champ hailing from Poland, only a short trip from Berlin.
Penne arrived in Germany on Monday, which didn’t give her a lot of time to adjust to the time zone and her surroundings. But she noted, “It’s only a disadvantage if I let it be one.”
She believes in visualization and has seen this fight over and over in her head. She’s ready for it to play out for real.
She had to change camps when now-retired UFC fighter Mark Munoz closed the Reign Training Center, but she said she’s settled in comfortably at Alliance MMA in San Diego.
“This is coming at the right time for me and I feel like I’m ready to do this and take it to the next level,” she said. “I feel like I’ve covered my bases and I’m prepared for anything, and I want to be able to show what I’m capable of doing.”