Check out BloodyElbow.com’s recap of the UFC on FOX 24 co-main event between Rose Namajunas and Michelle Waterson.
In the UFC on FOX 24 co-main event, strawweight contender Rose Namajunas dominated rising star Michelle Waterson until “Thug” forced a tap in the second round to get back into the winning column and give “The Karate Hottie” her first UFC loss.
Namajunas looked outstanding from start to finish. The fight got down to the mat, where she excels, quite quickly, and the 24-year-old started to do work. She took Waterson’s back briefly, but gave u?p that position and opted with guard instead. Namajunas landed some strikes on the ground, but Waterson made it back to her feet, where the fight was competitive, in time for the end of the round.
Namajunas dropped Waterson with a devastating head kick early in the second round, and Waterson appeared to be out cold. But she somehow somewhat recovered, but the knockdown was still the beginning of the end for her. Namajunas landed vicious ground-and-pound, nearly stopping her opponent. Soon after, she took Waterson’s back in a scramble, and sunk in the fight-ending rear-naked choke.
What was the highlight of the fight?
I’ll be honest and say I’m surprised how dominant all around Namajunas was in her rebound fight. I figured Waterson would be able to give Namajunas a run for her money, but that was not the case at all. The highlight of the fight was Namajunas’ finish, but it was still incredibly eye-opening to me how much she crushed Waterson on the mat, especially with Waterson coming off a slick submission win herself.
Where do these two go from here?
This was a big win for Namajunas. I wouldn’t have said that she is clearly next in line for a shot at the champion — the Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Andrade winner — but UFC president Dana White seems to be open to that idea, so I’m going to assume Namajunas fights for the UFC title for the second time in her next bout.
Waterson has been pushed by WME-IMG a lot ever since her win over VanZant, but the hype train came crashing down. She’s still a very good fighter, but I think it’s clear she’s not ready to fight the best of the best at 115 pounds. She’ll get less stiff competition in her next outing, and this is certainly far from it for Waterson.
Watch now, later, or never?
You should watch Namajunas vs. Waterson as soon as possible.