Rose Namajunas Explains Why Zhang vs. Jedrzejczyk Isn’t FOTY

Rose NamajunasFormer UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas doesn’t believe the fight between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the best 2020 has had to offer. Zhang made the first defence of her 115lb title against Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March. The two women went to war over five rounds in what many believe to be […]

Rose Namajunas

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas doesn’t believe the fight between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the best 2020 has had to offer.

Zhang made the first defence of her 115lb title against Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March. The two women went to war over five rounds in what many believe to be one of the best fights of all-time. Ultimately, Zhang walked away with a split decision win to retain her title but the bout could’ve gone either way.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani of ESPN Namajunas gave props to her strawweight rivals but expressed her personal opinion that the fight cannot be considered as the best this year due to the lack of defence on show, she said.

“It was a great fight and both of them are some savages for sure. However, the only gripe that I have about it being like the best fight ever or whatever is that people always say that, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. I don’t think it is a good thing to have the ‘best fight ever’ based on how people look at the ‘best fights ever’. If you think about the best fights when people say that it’s always a lack of defense. People that are getting hit a lot, to me, that’s not the best fight ever.”

‘Thug Rose’ suggested the featherweight scrap between Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos at UFC on ESPN 11 is a much more worth candidate for fight of the year, she said.

“You know what was the greatest fight ever recently was Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos. That was a beautiful display of like both two different styles. To me, that was the ‘fight of the year.’”

Do you agree with Rose Namajunas? Or do you believe Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the best fight of 2020?

Rose Namajunas Dismisses Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk As ‘Fight of The Year’

Rose Namajunas doesn’t believe Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk should be viewed as “Fight of the Year” based on the scars of battle. Back in March, Zhang put her UFC strawweight championship on the line against Jedrzejczyk. The bou…

Rose Namajunas doesn’t believe Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk should be viewed as “Fight of the Year” based on the scars of battle. Back in March, Zhang put her UFC strawweight championship on the line against Jedrzejczyk. The bout served as the co-main event of UFC 248. Zhang and Jedrzejczyk went to war for five […]

The post Rose Namajunas Dismisses Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk As ‘Fight of The Year’ appeared first on MMA News.

Rose Namajunas Misses Having Belt, Would Love To Fight Weili Zhang

NamajunasRose Namajunas didn’t enjoy being a champion — however, she did enjoy having the belt. Namajunas returns to action for the first time since May last year when she takes on Jessica Andrade in a rematch at UFC 251 on July 11. On that previous occasion, Namajunas suffered a second-round knockout defeat to Andrade to […]

Namajunas

Rose Namajunas didn’t enjoy being a champion — however, she did enjoy having the belt.

Namajunas returns to action for the first time since May last year when she takes on Jessica Andrade in a rematch at UFC 251 on July 11. On that previous occasion, Namajunas suffered a second-round knockout defeat to Andrade to lose her women’s strawweight title.

It turned out to be somewhat of a relief in the end as despite becoming a champion at 25 by knocking out Joanna Jedrzejczyk, being the strawweight queen wasn’t what Namajunas envisioned.

“I don’t know why, but ever since I turned 26, I think I just dealt with … becoming an adult was kind of difficult,” Namajunas told ESPN. “Losing my title and all of that sad s—, all of that ungratefulness and bitterness, I just went through a lot of different stages, and I just kind grew to understand some things.

“Everything is temporary, so you just kind of have to live in the moment and enjoy yourself as much as possible.

“… I don’t miss the way that I felt as a champion. But I do miss having that belt, though. When you get up and it’s your turn to dance but you ain’t ready, you ain’t got your moves right, everybody is looking at you — that’s kind of what it felt like. You feel like everyone is staring at you. That’s kind of like how it felt.”

Namajunas has gone through a lot in recent months, including losing family to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

That said, it was a wake-up call for “Thug” who has regained the passion for the sport that she loves.

“I love this sport,” she said. “There’s always things to gripe and complain about, but this is what I love to do, man. I’m a martial artist. I’m just pretty much hitting my prime right now, and it seems like everything, all of a sudden, is coming together.

“It seemed like everything was falling apart. Sometimes, things have to crumble down before you have to put them back together again.”

Zhang vs. Namajunas?

A win over Andrade would not only earn Namajunas revenge over the Brazilian, but also possibly set her up for a title fight with current champion Weili Zhang.

It’s a bout Zhang has spoken of recently as well and Namajunas would love to fight the Chinese superstar.

“I’d love to fight her one day,” Namajunas added. “She’s a true martial artist and like, she’s the sh*t.”

How do you think Namajunas will perform in her return? And would you like to see her face Zhang in the future?

UFC 251: Rose Namajunas Says All Signs Point To ‘Spectacular Performance’ In Jessica Andrade Rematch

Rose Namajunas thinks the stars are aligning for a strong showing against Jessica Andrade in their rematch. On July 11, Namajunas and Andrade will do battle in a rematch. The two competed back in May 2019. At the time, Namajunas was the UFC strawweight…

Rose Namajunas thinks the stars are aligning for a strong showing against Jessica Andrade in their rematch. On July 11, Namajunas and Andrade will do battle in a rematch. The two competed back in May 2019. At the time, Namajunas was the UFC strawweight champion. “Thug” Rose had a strong opening round and was getting […]

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Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas 2 Targeted For UFC Event On July 11

The UFC is working to rebook Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas II. Andrade and Namajunas were scheduled to do battle at UFC 249. Those plans changed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Namajunas ended up losing two family members due to the coronavirus. It ap…

The UFC is working to rebook Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas II. Andrade and Namajunas were scheduled to do battle at UFC 249. Those plans changed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Namajunas ended up losing two family members due to the coronavirus. It appears that she is ready to return to the Octagon next month. […]

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