Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade 2 targeted for UFC 251

Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade will be running it back.

According to Combate, the UFC is in negotiations with Namajunas and Andrade to have the rematch take place on July 11 at UFC 251.

The two first met back at UFC 237 in May of 2019 where Andrade scored a second-round knockout win to capture the UFC’s strawweight title. Namajunas has not fought since, while Andrade suffered a first-round TKO loss to Weili Zhang to lose the belt in her next time out.

Namajunas and Andrade were then expected to fight at UFC 249 on April 18. But, “Thug” pulled out due to a death in her family caused by the coronavirus. Since then, White has said the American was not interested in fighting but she apparently is ready to get back in there on July 11.

Rose Namajunas is currently ranked second in the strawweight rankings. Before the loss to Andrade she knocked out Joanna Jedrzekczyk to win the belt then beat Jedrzejczyk again, but this time by decision to defend the strap. The American is currently 8-4 as a pro while going 6-3 inside the Octagon.

Jessica Andrade, as mentioned is coming off the TKO loss to Zhang. In her career, she has notable wins over Angela Hill, Joanne Calderwood, and Claudia Gadelha among others.

The winner of Namajunas vs. Andrade seems likely to receive the next title shot against Zhang.

Earlier in the day, Zhang spoke about wanting to fight Namajunas next. She said she wanted to test her skills against her. But, the UFC appears to be interested in making the Namajunas-Andrade rematch. So, if Zhang is going to fight Thug, she’ll need Namajunas to beat Andrade on July 11.

Currently, UFC 251 does not have a main event. But, Jorge Masvidal said he would rematch Nate Diaz on the card. Kamaru Usman has also offered up his services to headline the pay-per-view.

Who do you think will win, Rose Namajunas or Jessica Andrade?