'I looked like a ZOMBIE': UFC's Joanna Jedrzejczyk recalls horror at head hematoma after brutal epic with Zhang

UFC strawweight Joanna Jedrzejczyk has opened up on the horrifying head injuries she sustained in her all-time classic against Zhang Weili in Las Vegas in March, saying she resembled a "zombie" in the aftermath of the slugfest.

Polish former strawweight queen Jedrzejczyk and current divisional ruler Zhang went toe-to-toe for five grueling rounds at UFC 248 at T-Mobile Arena, in a bout widely considered the greatest ever in women's MMA.

Zhang retained the title with a split-decision victory, but both she and Jedrzejczyk were left with gruesomely evident war wounds from their 25-minute pummel fest.

Jedrzejczyk's head swelling in particular was picked up on social media, as the Pole was described as "unrecognizable" such was the damage.

Now recovered, Jedrzejczyk has admitted she was initially shocked by the extent of her injuries.  

"I was like 'holy moly'," the Pole told the BBC. "I looked like a zombie."

The fighter kept most of her bruises under wraps in the days immediately after the fight, donning a baseball cap and sunglasses in pictures shared on social media.

However, the 32-year-old did later reveal how the bruising had sunk down her face in images which shocked social media. 

"One day I'll post pictures of how I looked. It was so funny, some people didn't even recognize me," she added. 

Despite battling on for the full five rounds, Jedrzejczyk admitted that she had questioned whether she could continue as the swelling worsened through the latter stages. 

"It could've scarred half my face, It was so painful. For a split-second, I questioned if I should stop, but I was still going forward," she said. 

Chinese champion Zhang paid tribute to her rival after the fight, hailing her as a "warrior" despite bad blood in the build-up when Jedrzejczyk apologized after sharing a photo which appeared to mock the Covid-19 situation.

Zhang also claimed she had heard her beaten rival "crying in hospital for hours" after the pair were both admitted for treatment on their injuries.

Former strawweight champ Jedrzejczyk has since said she wants to run it back with Zhang, although the Chinese fighter has said she wants her next outing to be against another former 115lbs in the form of Rose Namajunas.