Last night (Sat., April 16, 2016), Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres rematched at UFC on FOX 19 inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. In a close battle, “Thug” came out on top. Find out how below!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Sstrawweight elites Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres collided last night (Sat., April 16, 2016) at UFC on FOX 19 inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Watch full fight video highlights of the 115-pound scrap HERE.
Since coming up short in her title bid, Namajunas has looked incredible. She added two more submission victories to her record, and last night “Thug Rose” had the opportunity to avenge her first professional loss.
Meanwhile, Torres was unbeaten as a professional and has some very significant victories. If she could extend her win streak by defeating Namajunas, “The Tiny Tornado” was in great position to fight for a title sooner than later.
Instead, Namajunas continued her second title run.
Early on, Namajunas’ game plan to take advantage of her length became apparent, as she made extensive use of her lead hand and kicks against her shorter opponent. In an attempt to nullify that range, Torres looked to counter kicks and burst forward with combinations.
Things heated up in the final minute of the round. Torres scored with her best combination of the fight, flurrying with hooks and stunning her opponent. However, in the ensuing clinch battle, Namajunas scored with a nice takedown and finished the round with some ground strikes.
All in all, it was a close round that likely went to “Thug Rose.”
Between rounds, Namajunas made some smart adjustments that allowed her to score early. Instead of backing straight up when her opponent flurried — which got her caught a few times — Namajunas would take a step back and fire off a hard counter, most of which connected cleanly.
However, the final two minutes were far closer. Torres again found her range with combinations and kicks, allowing her to regain some momentum. Then, Namajunas stormed back late with a flurry to finish the round, further muddying the waters of a close round.
Ultimately, it was anyone’s fight in the final frame.
The third round started rather slowly, as both women were content to trade a lot of single strikes. Without anyone really taking control, it was difficult to determine which fighter was landing the better punches and kicks.
With a minute left in the round, it was anyone’s fight.
To her credit, Namajunas made something happen. Ducking under a punch and utilizing the body lock, Namajunas managed to finish the takedown. Though she didn’t really accomplish much with her top position, it was the most memorable moment of the round.
After 15 minutes of tight competition, both women had an argument to win the decision. However, the judges unanimously decided that Namajunas got the better of her opponent.
This wasn’t Namajunas’ best performance, but it was a massively important victory for her. In addition to avenging the first loss of her professional career, Namajunas put herself in great position to fight for the title. She may need to win one more match just because of timing issues, but either way she’s in a great spot.
A couple things impressed from Namajunas. For one, her adjustment in the second round was very intelligent, as it changed the course of the fight. Rather than eating hard shots in flurries, Namajunas was delivering sharp counter punches.
Additionally, the pair of takedowns Namajunas’ landed were hugely important. In a very close fight, one of those takedowns likely won her at least one round, which ultimately was enough to decide the fight.
Torres performed rather well herself, but it seems that her opponent has grown at a quicker rate. For the most part, Torres is the same fighter as she’s always been. She makes good use of flurries and long kicks to hide her size disadvantage, but Torres doesn’t have much stopping power. Additionally, though she’s a difficult woman to take down, Torres’ lack of offensive wrestling means that she must clearly win the striking.
Since she’s not a finishing threat in that area, that’s a difficult task against the best in the world.
Despite the loss, Torres is still one of the top five strawweights in the world. When she returns to the cage, a match with Jessica Penne would certainly be interesting.
Last night, Rose Namajunas scraped past Tecia Torres in a close decision win. Where does the former title challenger head from here?
For complete UFC on FOX 19 “Teixiera vs Evans” results and play-by-play, click HERE!