Former two-time
Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight queen Rose
Namajunas is hoping to make a statement in her second outing in
the flyweight division.
Following a split-decision loss to Carla
Esparza at UFC
274, Namajunas (11-6) moved up to the 125-pound division in
2023 and faced No. 3-ranked Manon
Fiorot at
UFC Fight Night 226 .
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Despite suffering a broken right hand in the first round of the
bout, Namajunas put on a competitive fight, even securing two of
the judges‘ scorecards in the third frame. However, the French
national walked away with the unanimous decision victory thanks to
her performance in the first two stanzas.
“Thug Rose” is now slated to take on the No. 8-ranked Amanda
Ribas (12-4) in a
UFC Fight Night main event duel on March 23 at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas.
Having time to get more accustomed to the new weight class, the
former champ feels more confident and prepared for her upcoming
flyweight contest.
“I actually felt really good [in my flyweight debut]. Now, I’m even
a little more solid. I had a little more fat on me, but it wasn’t a
ton or anything. I was definitely a lot leaner at 115, but now I
feel like I’m a little bit bigger and more solid too and I’m just
more accustomed to moving around at this weight as well,” Namajunas
said on “The MMA Hour.”
Assessing her upcoming opponent, Namajunas doesn’t see Ribas having
the tools to deal with her on fight night. “Thug Rose” believes
sticking to her game plan and maintaining focus throughout is what
will allow her to secure a finish against the Brazilian.
“She’s always got some good energy. She comes to fight. She’s going
to give it her all every second of the fight. That’s probably the
biggest danger that she poses. She’s got some good techniques but
overall, I just feel like I’m better everywhere. I know I’m better
everywhere. I just have to maintain focus and discipline and just
stick to the game plan and get her out of there when I can.”
Ribas is coming off a spectacular Round 3 spinning wheel kick
technical knockout victory against strawweight Luana
Pinheiro at
UFC Fight Night 232. Before that, Ribas suffered a Round 2 TKO
loss at the hands of Maycee
Barber in a flyweight clash at
UFC on ABC 5 in June 2023.
The unnumbered UFC Fight Night event will also feature a
featherweight meeting between Julian
Erosa and Ricardo
Ramos, as well as a bantamweight clash pitting Davey Grant
against Cody Gibson.