Rose Namajunas may be the underdog heading into UFC 237, but many of her peers pick her to beat challenger Jessica Andrade.
Santiago Ponzinibbio and many of his fellow fighters are picking champion underdog Rose Namajunas to defend her strawweight title against Jessica Andrade at UFC 237
The welterweight contender was one of many fighters who contributed their pre-fight analysis to SBN MMA’s Fighters Pick Fights series for both Namajunas vs. Andrade and Jared Cannonier. You can read a handful of excerpts below and watch the full video above.
Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade
Santiago Ponzinibbio: Namajunas has good footwork. Andrade is really really strong, but if Namajunas fights smart — you know, use your footwork, your feint, straight punch — I think it’s no problem for Namajunas.
Elias Theodorou: It’s great to see new fighters, first and foremost, competing here. I think Rose has that dead stare and is able to pull it off. She has shown her hands and her grappling ability to go for it. I think the champ will still reign supreme.
Jon Fitch: “Thug Rose,” man. She’s just tough. With the women still, there are still some gaps between the top women and the rest of the division. It’s going to take time to thicken out the weight classes.
Beneil Dariush: I’m going to go with Rose. I think she’s going to start pulling away in the third, fourth and fifth rounds.
Jared Cannonier vs. Anderson Silva
Cody Stamann: I think Anderson proved he still has gas in the tank after his fight with Adesanya. I never like to bet against a legend like Anderson Silva cause you never know what he can bring to the table.
Josh Emmett: Anderson Silva is going to try and keep his range and pick him apart. He’s super accurate and he’s such a legend. He’s fighting in his home country. I think he’s going to be prepared for this and put on a show.
Max Griffin: I’m such a big fan of “The Spider”. He’s still fighting well. It just depends. I don’t like seeing Anderson lose. I don’t. When he broke his leg, I feel it. I feel like my brother lost when he fights and loses. I’m hoping Anderson, but I’m thinking Jared.
Eryk Anders: I think Jared is gonna get him. He’s a young with a lot of power. He’s short but he has long arms, you know, long reach. I think he’s going to be able to touch Anderson Silva and put Silva on his back.
UFC 237 takes place at the Rio Olympic Arena on Saturday, May 11. Keep up with Bloody Elbow for live highlights, updates, and results on all of the night’s action.
[Author’s note: some of these quotes have been condensed for clarity]