Rose Namajunas is gearing up for her long-awaited return to action. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamato, “Thug Rose” will defend her Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s Strawweight title against Jessica Andrade.
The title fight — which was confirmed by UFC president Dana White — is set to go down at the upcoming UFC 237 pay-per-per (PPV) event on May 11, 2019 in Brazil, though an exact location has yet-to-be determined. Indeed, Rose will attempt to defend her strap for the second time in enemy territory, as Jessica will enjoy home field advantage for her first-ever championship bout.
Andrade punched her ticket to the big dance after reeling off three impressive wins over Tecia Torres, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Claudia Gadelha. Her win streak was good enough to secure the No. 1 spot over former champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. In fact, “Pitbull’s” last loss came at the hands of “Joanna champion” a year and a half ago.
Winning the belt should take care of those pesky bills.
Namajunas, meanwhile, has been on the sidelines tending to a neck injury since defending her title against Jedrzejczyk at UFC 223 last April. “Thug Rose” hasn’t tasted defeat since 2016, and holds back-to-back wins over the aforementioned Jedrzejczyk. Winning six of her last seven fights, Rose is looking to nab second straight title defense.
Early predictions?