Rose Namajunas lost her strawweight title — but she didn’t lose her support from the fans.
“Thug” banked a $30,000 Bitcoin bonus in the Crypto.com fan poll not long after dropping a split decision to Carla Esparza at the UFC 274 pay-per-view (PPV) event on May 7 in Phoenix, the second time Namajunas fell to “Cookie Monster.”
So who is to blame for what many people are calling the worst title fight in UFC history?
“It was a weird fight,” UFC President Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “Seemed like they didn’t want to engage. I think they threw a total of six punches in the first round. It was a tough one. That happens sometimes. I started zoning out like halfway through it. I don’t think anyone is clamoring for that rematch. We’ll have to figure something else out. Rose is one of the best. She’s always gonna be there. We’ll see what happens.”
Maybe Esparza can fight this winner of this rematch.
Also banking a Bitcoin bonus was former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, along with ex-Bellator MMA 155-pound titleholder Michael Chandler. “Do Bronx” pocketed an extra $10,000 for strangling Justin Gaethje while “Iron” took home $20,000 for toe-tagging Tony Ferguson.
For context on how the Crypto.com fan vote works click here.
Fighters still have a chance to rack up a second (or in some cases third) bonus after the Marshall Inu fan bonus closes its voting polls on Tuesday. In the meantime, get up to speed on all the UFC 274: “Oliveira vs. Gaethje” results and fallout by clicking here.