Rose Namajunas News
Rose Namajunas explains how previous Ronda Rousey comparisons affected her first fight with Carla Esparza: “You don’t really think anybody’s on your level”
Harry Kettle - May 3, 2022
UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has explained how being compared to Ronda Rousey impacted her against Carla Esparza. This Saturday night at UFC 274, Rose Namajunas will attempt to cement her status as the best strawweight on the planet when she goes head to head with Carla Esparza. The two women have met before when they battled for the inaugural strawweight belt in December 2014 and on that night, Esparza submitted ‘Thug Rose’ and captured the title.
Michael Bisping shares his prediction for Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza 2: “I think it’s going to be a stoppage”
Susan Cox - May 2, 2022
Michael Bisping is sharing his prediction for the upcoming Rose Namajunas vs Carla Exparza 2. It will be this coming Saturday, May 7th at UFC 274 that the long-awaited rematch between Carla Esparza (19-6 MMA) and UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (12-4 MMA) will take place in the co-main event.
Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza 2 set for UFC 274
Cole Shelton - March 16, 2022
Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza are finally set to run it back. According to Sports Illustrated, Namjunas and Esparza have agreed to fight one another in the co-main event of UFC 274 on May 7 in Phoenix, Arizona. The event will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk shares her prediction for upcoming Carla Esparza vs. Rose Namajunas rematch
Harry Kettle - March 16, 2022
Joanna Jedrzejczyk has given her thoughts on the upcoming rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza. While she hasn’t competed inside the Octagon for over two years, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is still a pretty important factor to consider in the UFC’s strawweight division. The former champion is reportedly eyeing a return to the cage this summer, with the plan being for her to take on Zhang Weili in a rematch from their epic encounter at UFC 248.
Former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk says she was offered the winner of ‘Esparza vs. Namajunas 2’, but plans to rematch Weili Zhang
Susan Cox - January 4, 2022
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is aiming to return to MMA competition in 2022. In a recent interview on the ‘Kanal Sportowy Show’ in Poland, Joanna commented:
Carla Esparza set to challenge UFC champion Rose Namajunas in 2022
Susan Cox - December 20, 2021
Carla Esparza will get her much deserved rematch against Rose Namajunas in 2022 according to UFC President Dana White. Esparza (18-6 MMA) is currently on a five-fight winning streak, her latest being a first round stoppage victory over Yan Xiaonan back in May.
Rose Namajunas can’t figure out why UFC won’t “get behind” Carla Esparza for a rematch: “Nothing really interests me other than Carla”
Harry Kettle - December 15, 2021
UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas can’t understand why the UFC won’t back Carla Esparza to get a title shot. At UFC 268, Rose Namajunas was able to defeat Zhang Weili for the second time this year to successfully retain her UFC strawweight title. Carla Esparza, meanwhile, finished Yan Xiaonan in May to take her current win streak up to five.
Zhang Weili reflects on fights with Rose Namajunas, feels 'enlightened' by experiences
Drake Riggs - November 30, 2021
The rivalry between Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas has come to an end for the time being. UFC 268 kicked off the month of November and featured two big title fight rematches. In the evening’s co-main event, China’s first UFC champion in Zhang looked to get redemption opposite her successor from their UFC 261 meeting in April.
What's next for the stars of UFC 268?
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2021
The UFC returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time since November of 2019 for a stacked UFC 268 card. The event saw two titles on the line as Kamaru Usman was looking to defend his welterweight title in a rematch against Colby Covington. Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang were also running it back from their fight in April for the strawweight strap. UFC 268 ended up being one of the best cards in recent memory as in the main event, Usman edged out Covington in a super close fight. Namajunas, meanwhile, went up 2-0 on Zhang as she defended her belt with a split decision win. Now, after UFC 268, here’s what I think should be next for the four fighters involved in the title fights.
Carla Esparza respectfully requests rematch with Rose Namajunas for UFC women's title
Adam D Martin - November 8, 2021
Former champion Carla Esparza respectfully requested a rematch with current champ Rose Namajunas for the UFC women’s strawweight title. Esparza is arguably the No. 1 contender in the UFC women’s strawweight division, so she watched anxiously this past Saturday night as Namajunas duked it out with former champ Weili Zhang at UFC 268. It was a hard-fought fight between the two women, but it was Namajunas who earned the split decision win on the judges’ scorecards to defend her belt.
Dana White not ready to give Carla Esparza a title shot following UFC 268: "We have an option"
Christopher Taylor - November 7, 2021
Dana White is not ready to proclaim Carla Esparza as the next strawweight title challenger, this despite Rose Namajunas’ win at UFC 268. Esparza (18-6 MMA), the promotions former strawweight champion, is currently on a five-fight winning streak and seemingly has the best case for a title shot when compared to any of the other divisions contenders.
Rose Namajunas wants Carla Esparza next following win over Weili Zhang at UFC 268
Adam D Martin - November 7, 2021
UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas wants to fight Carla Esparza next following her big win over Weili Zhang at UFC 268. Namajunas edged out a split decision over Zhang in a razor-thin fight that served as the co-main event of UFC 268. It was another fantastic performance by Namajunas, who overcame a slow start to turn it on late and steal the decision on the judges’ scorecards. Namajunas is now 2-0 over Zhang and it seems unlikely that the UFC will run back an immediate trilogy fight, so it seems likely that Namajunas will get a new opponent next.
Weili Zhang issues statement following split decision loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC 268
Adam D Martin - November 7, 2021
Weili Zhang issued a statement following her split decision loss to UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at UFC 268. Zhang fought as hard as she could over the course of 25 minutes, but ultimately it was Namajunas who edged out a narrow split decision on the judges’ scorecards. For Zhang, it is her second straight defeat to Namajunas after losing via head kick KO earlier this year at UFC 261. This second fight was much closer, and some fans even thought that Zhang deserved to win, but ultimately it was Namajunas who edged out the split decision win.
Zhang Weili reacts following second straight loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC 268
Christopher Taylor - November 7, 2021
Zhang Weili was hoping to reclaim the strawweight title when she squared off with Rose Namajunas tonight at Madison Square Garden. Zhang (21-2 MMA) and Namajunas (11-4 MMA) had originally clashed back at April’s UFC 261 event, with ‘Thug’ emerging victorious by way of knockout.
UFC 268 Bonus Report: Gaethje vs. Chandler get FOTN
Chris Taylor - November 6, 2021
The Octagon returned to MSG for tonight’s UFC 268 event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by a rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. The highly anticipated welterweight title fight rematch proved to be another thrilling war. Kamaru Usman was able to get off to a strong start in the fight and wound up dropping Colby Covington on two occasions in the second round. However, ‘Chaos’ stormed back in rounds three and four, leaving many to believe the fight was 2-2 after twenty minutes. The final five minutes resulted in another competitive round and following the final buzzer Usman and Covington couldn’t help but show each other some respect.
Pros react after Rose Namajunas defeats Zhang Weili at UFC 268
Chris Taylor - November 6, 2021
Tonight’s UFC 268 event was co-headlined by a women’s strawweight title fight rematch between Rose Namajunas and Weili Zhang. Namajunas (11-4 MMA) and Zhang (21-2 MMA) had originally clashed back at April’s UFC 261 event, with ‘Thug’ emerging victorious by way of knockout.
Zhang Weili details intense training for UFC 268, including simulated boos and Henry Cejudo yelling "Go back to China!"
Christopher Taylor - November 6, 2021
Zhang Weili is looking to make a statement when she squares off with Rose Namajunas for a second time in tonight’s UFC 268 co-main event. Zhang (21-2 MMA) and Namajunas (10-4 MMA) originally collided back at April’s UFC 261 event, with ‘Thug Rose’ emerging victorious by way of first round knockout.
UFC 268: 'Usman vs Covington 2' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - November 5, 2021
The Octagon returns to Madison Square Garden for UFC 268, a fourteen-bout fight card headlined by a rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Usman (19-1 MMA) and Covington (16-2 MMA) originally collided back at UFC 245 in December of 2019, with the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ emerging victorious by of a thrilling fifth round TKO.