Rose
Namajunas believes she isn’t far away from a title shot in her
new weight class.
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Namajunas moved up to flyweight after her second strawweight title
run ended with a split-decision loss against Carla
Esparza at UFC 274. Namajunas dropped a unanimous decision loss
against Manon
Fiorot in her flyweight debut at UFC Paris in September 2023.
However, Namajunas has since bounced back with a unanimous decision
win over Amanda
Ribas this past March to regain relevance in the flyweight
division.
Namajunas revealed that winning a second title has certainly
motivated her move up to flyweight — though that wasn’t the only
reason.
“When I first started my career in the UFC, that was kind of like
my vision that I had in mind,” Namajunas told MMAjunkie.com. “It wasn’t like super solid, but
I definitely wanted to become champion. And then, somewhere in the
back of my mind, I thought to become champion in two divisions as
well. But that was so far in the distance – I [had never been] a
champion before – I wasn’t sure if I could make that happen. But
now I know that I can. Not just that though, but the weight cuts
were getting a little bit more difficult each time. And then it was
just, I was fighting the same people over and over again.”
Namajunas headlines UFC
on ESPN 59 at the Ball Arena in Denver against short-notice
replacement opponent Tracy
Cortez on Saturday. “Thug” expects to gain immediate relevance
in title contention talks with win over Cortez, who hasn’t lost a
fight since her pro debut in 2017.
“I’d say I’m right in that title contention talks [with a win],”
Namajunas said. “God willing, I’m healthy, I’m in shape and I’m
ready to go with a win and whatever opportunities they want to give
me. I could see myself fighting for the belt really soon. So it’s
just a matter of doing my job and fighting to the best of my
abilities. And anything’s possible.”