Justine Kish aims for 'vicious finish' vs. Felice Herrig, hopes for Joanna Jedrzejczyk showdown

Justine Kish is wishing continued success to UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, because when she eventually earns her title shot, she wants to be the one to dethrone the unbeaten Polish wrecking ball.

Kish (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who is also undefeated and meets Felice Herrig (12-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 112 main card, which airs on FS1 following prelims on FS2 and UFC Fight Pass at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., said she’s not looking to skip ahead to a title shot immediately, but is already excited for a potential clash with Jedrzejczyk (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC).

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I see myself going against the champ real soon,” Kish told MMAjunkie. “There are things that I would love to do that people are not doing yet against her, so I hope she continues to win, Joanna continues to win, because I really want to be the one to beat her.”

Both fighters come from a muay-Thai background and could match up for a fan-pleasing affair. Kish has been touted as a fighter with solid potential since she first appeared on the UFC scene through “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. Her progress has been slowed due to injury, but at UFC Fight Night 112 she gets a chance to make a statement by beating a longtime divisional mainstay in Herrig.

Herrig’s recent wins over Kailin Curran and Alexa Grasso prove she can beat the next generation of 115-pound fighters, and Kish said she’s impressed with Herrig’s consistent career success. Herrig is well known through her contributions to the sport, as well as her social media presence, and Kish said getting a win over “Lil’ Bulldog” will do wonders for her.

“I’m actually a Felice Herrig fan, because she’s a pioneer,” Kish said. “She’s accomplished a whole bunch. This is a great opportunity for me, as if I do well and I’m successful in it, it’s going to be a springboard because she has a huge following. Successful or not, she has a big following. That’s going to draw a lot of attention to me no matter what, but it feels like I belong here, and it feels like it should have happened a long time ago, but I’m totally appreciating the pace of it.”

If Kish wants to be considered a threat to Jedrzejczyk, she needs to not only beat Herrig, but do it in an impressively. Kish has won all her pro fights to date, but she can outright admit her two UFC wins over Ashley Yoder and Nina Ansaroff weren’t satisfactory performances.

Kish hasn’t finished an opponent in nearly four years, and if talk of a bout with Jedrzejczyk is to be taken seriously, she said that has to change.

“I don’t want another decision fight,” Kish said. “I want a decisive finish, a vicious finish in this fight just to prove to myself I can be decisive in critical moments, not just hanging around waiting for her to move. … Just finding the times I should actually capitalize and finish things as opposed to just waiting it out and figure out what’s going to happen next.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 112, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.