Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas dropped her 115-pound title to longtime nemesis Carla Esparza at the UFC 274 pay-per-view (PPV) event last May, a split decision loss that saw “Thug” land just one takedown and 38 strikes across five rounds of competition.
Was Namajunas afraid of getting submitted by Esparza for a second time?
“Gillian Robertson tapping out Rose Namajunas in just 65 seconds, that there makes me understand why she was so timid, Namajunas, or played it so safe against Carla Esparza,” Bisping said on his official podcast (transcribed by MMA News). “Esparza tapped her out the first time, I believe, when they fought. Didn’t tap her out the second time, but you could see it was there, messing with her mentally.”
Namajunas has been open about her anxiety issues (which led to this verbal attack).
The former champ has not competed since her frustrating loss to Esparza but did close out 2022 with a grappling match against fellow UFC star Gillian Robertson. Unfortunately, Namajunas was submitted in just over a minute, prompting this new theory by Bisping.
Agree or disagree?