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Namajunas Would Still Befriend Weili, But ‘I Kicked Her In The Face’

Rose Namajunas believes that kicking someone in the face should not stop you from being friends with them. “Thug” Rose Namajunas is set to have a rematch with Zhang Weili, after taking the title from the then-champ earlier this year, becoming the first female fighter in UFC history to regain a belt that she lost. […]

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Rose Namajunas believes that kicking someone in the face should not stop you from being friends with them.

“Thug” Rose Namajunas is set to have a rematch with Zhang Weili, after taking the title from the then-champ earlier this year, becoming the first female fighter in UFC history to regain a belt that she lost. Prior to that first meeting, the Chinese champion had some nice things to say about the American, stating that she could even see the two of them being friends.

Speaking on The MMA Hour prior to their rematch at UFC 268, Namajunas said that she would still be down to have a friendly relationship with Weili. That being said, she does question whether or not this is something Weili would want, considering their last encounter ended with a head kick.

“I don’t know what to think of her. She said she wanted to be friends, so I’m still waiting for a proper introduction. Like, ‘Hello! How’s it going?’ But obviously, I kicked her in the face so she doesn’t want to be friends no more. So I don’t know.”

There are certainly other factors that could contribute to there not being a friendship between Namajunas and Weili, aside from their first fight’s outcome. This is not to say that there is bad blood between the two per se, but Namajunas certainly got some pushback for her controversial comments regarding the state of Communism in China, ahead of their first bout.

Nevertheless, Rose Namajunas will have a rematch with Zhang Weili at UFC 268, on November 6th, in the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden. It will be interesting to see if these two form a friendly relationship by the end of this fight.

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Namajunas “For Sure” Would Love To Avenge Past Loss To Esparza

UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas says she would love to avenge her past defeat to #3-ranked contender Carla Esparza. The pair fought at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale in December 2014. Esparza became the inaugural 115-pound UFC champ by submitting Namajunas via rear-naked choke in the third round. After dropping […]

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UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas says she would love to avenge her past defeat to #3-ranked contender Carla Esparza.

The pair fought at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale in December 2014. Esparza became the inaugural 115-pound UFC champ by submitting Namajunas via rear-naked choke in the third round. After dropping the belt to Joanna J?drzejczyk in her next fight, “Cookie Monster” went on an inconsistent run that saw her go 3-3 in her next six Octagon outings.

However, Esparza has since built one of the most impressive win streaks in the promotion. The former champ followed consecutive losses to Cláudia Gadelha and Tatiana Suarez with victories over Virna Jandiroba, Alexa Grasso, Michelle Waterson, and Marina Rodriguez.

Having accumulated five wins on the bounce, Esparza was matched with top-five strawweight Yan Xiaonan in the UFC Vegas 27 co-main event in May. With a brutal second-round TKO, the Californian became the first woman to defeat “Fury” in nearly 11 years, and burst into title contention in emphatic fashion.

During Esparza’s climb back towards the top of the strawweight ladder, Namajunas achieved title glory twice. At UFC 261 in April, “Thug Rose” became the first woman in UFC history to regain a belt when she dethroned Zhang Weili. While many expected the new champ’s first defense of her second reign to be a rematch with former foe Esparza, “Magnum” was granted an immediate chance at redemption.

During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Namajunas gave her thoughts on the promotion’s decision to snub the surging Esparza. Despite admitting that she’d initially expected to be running it back with “Cookie Monster,” the 29-year-old suggested Zhang is the most dangerous opponent she could face.

“Originally, I was, just ’cause of how impressive Carla looked. But I think when I step out of my shoes and into the UFC’s shoes, I guess that’s what makes more sense to them. And then when I really think about it, Weili is still the most dangerous opponent I could face. But in all actuality, at the end of the day, I don’t think it really matters who I fight because opponents can change. All that matters to me is just being ready for a fight November 6.”

Nevertheless, should she defend her gold against her Chinese rival at UFC 268 next month, “Thug Rose” is keen to avenge her 2014 defeat to Esparza. That’s assuming the 34-year-old’s place as top contender remains secure. UFC President Dana White recently advised Esparza to remain active to avoid losing her spot in the queue.

“Would I want to get that one back? Of course. I was kinda stuck on that at first. But I kinda had to step outside myself and be like, ‘Well, I gotta be ready for whoever,’ you know what I mean? And Weili is more dangerous in my opinion. So if I really want to challenge myself, that’s the challenge that’s gonna get me back a little bit more. But do I want to fight Carla eventually? Yes, as long as she keeps winning or if something else doesn’t happen, I would for sure want to fight her,” said Namajunas.

Would you like to see Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza rematch for the strawweight title?

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Namajunas Responds To Zhang’s Accusation Of Turning Fans Against Her

Rose Namajunas denies trying to turn fans against Weili Zhang. In the lead-up to the Zhang vs. Namajunas at UFC 261, Namajunas made some controversial comments about communism that the former champ believes turned fans against her. In Jacksonville, the Chinese fighter was booed as she was being announced ahead of challenging Zhang for the […]

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Rose Namajunas denies trying to turn fans against Weili Zhang.

In the lead-up to the Zhang vs. Namajunas at UFC 261, Namajunas made some controversial comments about communism that the former champ believes turned fans against her. In Jacksonville, the Chinese fighter was booed as she was being announced ahead of challenging Zhang for the title. However, for Namajunas, she doesn’t think she turned any fans against Zhang.

“She can think what she wants to think. I don’t fault her for that,” Namajunas said on The MMA Hour. “A lot of what I do seems like it’s so genius and so, ‘Ooo!’ And it’s like, I’m just being myself, you know what I mean? I am a genius at what I do, but it’s because I’m truly just being honest and being myself.”

According to Rose Namajunas, she doesn’t think she is that smart to purposely say something to get inside someone’s head or get fans on her side. Instead, she says she just says what she truly feels and it’s up to the people to decide on how to take it.

“Yeah, I mean, you go in there with a game plan and you have a plan and stuff, but it’s a fight. I don’t sit around planning each and every step of the way. So whatever I said in my interview is what I said because that’s how I truly felt at that moment in time. I was worried that I was gonna get booed because of all the terrible press and video that I got. So if she wants to think that, she can think that, but she doesn’t have to,” Namajunas said.

In the end, Namajunas scored a first-round head kick KO to reclaim her strawweight title. The fight only lasted 78 seconds and the two will now rematch in the co-main event of UFC 268 on November 6 in Madison Square Garden.

Do you think Rose Namajunas turned fans against Weili Zhang?

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Zhang Weili Believes Rose Namajunas ‘Crossed The Line’ With Communism Comments

Zhang Weili has been reflecting on the build-up to her first fight with Rose Namajunas ahead of the strawweight duo’s eagerly-anticipated rematch on November 5 at UFC 268. In the lead-up, to UFC 261 Lithuanian-American Namajunas used the anti-communist phrase “better dead than red” when discussing Zhang who hails from China. During a recent appearance […]

Zhang Weili has been reflecting on the build-up to her first fight with Rose Namajunas ahead of the strawweight duo’s eagerly-anticipated rematch on November 5 at UFC 268.

In the lead-up, to UFC 261 Lithuanian-American Namajunas used the anti-communist phrase “better dead than red” when discussing Zhang who hails from China.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Zhang admitted that Namajunas’ anti-communist rhetoric had a profound impact on her and the crowd in attendance at UFC 261 back in April.

“I think it definitely affected me a little bit,” Zhang told Ariel Helwani. “The comments that Rose made, I think she was successful in making the audience boo me. But I think that’s my own problem because I should be concentrating on the fight and not the audience. I can’t control who the audience likes. So I’m becoming more focused on my own fight.”

“In my mind, I think that, yes, those comments crossed the line because I think all the audience, all the fighters, we all come together in the UFC because we all share the passion of the MMA sport,” Zhang continued. “In my mind, I’m coming here because I want to make friends because we all have the common love of martial arts. I think it’s not a good thing to mix sport with politics, but I think that’s maybe her plan. So in the beginning, I thought it was just kind of trash talk. It really didn’t affect me. But when I went out in the stadium and got booed, I think Rose wanted to use those comments to make the audience boo me.”

Zhang insists she will not be fazed by the crowd at UFC 268 next month.

“I have been to New York City once, but I’ve never been to Madison Square Garden,” Weili said. “I’m very much looking forward to the fight, and I’m also expecting there will be some Chinese audience that will want to go to cheer me. But I also adjusted my mentality. Even if the audience boos me, I will just think they like me.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Do you agree with Zhang Weili? Did Rose Namajunas cross the line with her anti-communist comments?

Namajunas Says UFC 261 Kick “One Of 10 Ways” She Could Finish Zhang

UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas has suggested the head kick she used to knock Zhang Weili out at UFC 261 was just “one of 10 ways” she could finish “Magnum.” In front of the first sold-out crowd at a UFC event in well over a year, Namajunas became the first woman in UFC history […]

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UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas has suggested the head kick she used to knock Zhang Weili out at UFC 261 was just “one of 10 ways” she could finish “Magnum.”

In front of the first sold-out crowd at a UFC event in well over a year, Namajunas became the first woman in UFC history to reclaim a title after losing it. “Thug Rose” had previously won and defended the title against Joanna J?drzejczyk. She lost the 155-pound gold in 2019 after being on the receiving end of a brutal slam against Jéssica Andrade.

Having exacted revenge on the newly-beltless Brazilian at UFC 251 on Fight Island, Namajunas booked her spot against the high-flying champion Zhang. In the April pay-per-view’s co-main event, the 29-year-old provided one of the most memorable moments in UFC history, knocking the Chinese star out with a vicious left head kick. In achieving victory, Namajunas handed Zhang her first loss in the promotion and ended her remarkable 21-fight win streak.

Now set to run it back with her third opponent in a row, Namajunas is confident of getting the better of Zhang for the second time this year. The pair are set to collide again at UFC 268 next month.

In an interview with The Schmo ahead of the first title defense of her second reign, “Thug Rose” acknowledged the challenge she’ll be facing come November 6. However, in her mind, if she performs to her best ability, she is the best at 115 pounds.

“I’m highly confident in this fight. Knowing what’s ahead of me, I have a big task ahead of me. But I think there’s a lot of stuff that’s working in my favor. I think sometimes I take that and I spin it the other way around and I go, ‘Alright, so I gotta make sure that I’m really on top of my game because it’s easy to be sleepy.’ As long as I’m doing my best, I am the best.”

Assessing what tools she may use in her rematch against “Magnum,” Namajunas revealed she’ll be using another kick-heavy attack. Despite suggesting she could look to finish Zhang in the same way she did at UFC 261, the Wisconsin-native claimed the head kick is just one of many ways she envisions herself being able to stop the former champ.

“Well it worked [the head kick]. We can always test that out [again]. I’m always going to be throwing those kicks now. That’s my original martial arts… that’s what I started in is Taekwondo. I’ll definitely be doing that and a lot more. That was just, kind of, one of 10 ways that I see myself finishing her.”

Despite the red-hot form of the inaugural strawweight queen Carla Esparza, who has built a five-fight win streak that includes victories over Yan Xiaonan, one half of this weekend’s main event Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson, and Alexa Grasso, Zhang has had her wish for an immediate rematch with Namajunas granted. Her chance for redemption will be the first of two blockbuster championship rematches set to go down inside Madison Square Garden.

In the main event, UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman will revisit his rivalry with Colby Covington. Having already beaten “Chaos” at UFC 245 in 2019, “The Nigerian Nightmare” will look to repeat the feat on November 6.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 268, Rose Namajunas or Zhang Weili?

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Weili Zhang Believes Fans Are Against Her After Namajunas’ Comments

Rose Namajunas made remarks about communism before she bested Weili Zhang for gold back at UFC 261, and China’s Zhang believes it’s turning fans against her. With the two scheduled for their rematch in the famed Madison Square Garden venue, Zhang believes she could be fighting more than “Thug” Rose when the two touch gloves […]

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Rose Namajunas made remarks about communism before she bested Weili Zhang for gold back at UFC 261, and China’s Zhang believes it’s turning fans against her.

With the two scheduled for their rematch in the famed Madison Square Garden venue, Zhang believes she could be fighting more than “Thug” Rose when the two touch gloves on Nov. 6. Before their first encounter, Namajunas voiced an anti-communism slogan from the Cold War era, stating, “better dead than red”. The former champion maintains that the comments of Namajunas have caused fans, especially in North America, to turn against her.

During Zhang’s first title defense against Namajunas, the audience in Florida was booing her incessantly. Since UFC 261 was the first PPV with a full crowd since the pandemic shuttered much of the U.S., the audience was extra lively. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Zhang mentioned that Rose’s comments affected her overall performance in their first outing.

“I think it definitely affected me a little bit,” Zhang said. “The comments that Rose made, I think she was successful in making the audience boo me. But I think that’s my own problem because I should be concentrating on the fight and not the audience. I can’t control who the audience likes. So I’m becoming more focused on my own fight.”

“In my mind, I think that, yes, those comments crossed the line because I think all the audience, all the fighters, we all come together in the UFC because we all share the passion of the MMA sport. In my mind, I’m coming here because I want to make friends because we all have the common love of martial arts. I think it’s not a good thing to mix sport with politics, but I think that’s maybe her plan. So in the beginning, I thought it was just kind of trash talk. Zhang said. It really didn’t affect me. But when I went out in the stadium and got booed, I think Rose wanted to use those comments to make the audience boo me.”

Zhang conceded responsibility for her knockout loss at UFC 261. Though, she insists that the fans did impact her performance. Initially, the former 115-pound titleholder thought the trash talk was a joke. But after hearing the crowd boo her, “Magnum” believes the comments were politically motivated to elicit a reaction. Even so, China’s Zhang will do her best to pay the political dialogue no mind ahead of her second UFC title shot.

Who do you have winning the strawweight title at UFC 268?

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