Rose Namajunas has her first win as a UFC flyweight out of the way in which. A second one may propel her again into championship territory.
There are not any scarcity of potential opponents for Namajunas, who earned a unanimous determination win over Amanda Ribas in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 89 important occasion. Namajunas brings loads of cachet to any matchup, given her historical past as a two-time strawweight champion, however she possible wants a win over a top-5 contender to earn a title shot at 125 kilos.
Namajunas talked about the names of some contenders following her newest win, with Maycee Barber being one which drew specific curiosity.
“I feel she’s a savage,” Namajunas mentioned on the UFC Vegas 89 post-fight press convention when requested why she wish to combat Barber. “She’s a giant lady, she’s sturdy, she’s only a bully in there. I knew her when she was actually younger, and he or she’s so much totally different now. She used to type of name me out again when she was youthful and issues like that – I feel it’s type of humorous. However she’s actually robust, and that might undoubtedly inspire me and get me going each day, as a result of I do know she throws with actually dangerous intentions.
“However anyone else is cool, too. Erin Blanchfield, Manon [Fiorot], title [shot], don’t matter.”
Barber has been on a sizzling streak since a loss to future champion Alexa Grasso, having received six straight fights. Most not too long ago, she knocked off perennial contender Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299 to place herself into place for a No. 1 contender’s combat.
At present, Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko are scheduled to teach the upcoming season of The Final Fighter 32, which leaves them on the sidelines for the foreseeable future and the flyweight title image in limbo.
Although Namajunas misplaced to Manon Fiorot in her flyweight debut, her spectacular run at strawweight made her one of many UFC’s hottest fighters, and he or she’s effective with capitalizing on her notoriety if the matchmakers wish to quick monitor her to a championship combat.
“I feel that undoubtedly in the event that they wish to give me a title shot, I’m more than pleased to try this,” Namajunas mentioned. “I misplaced to Manon Fiorot and he or she’s combating Erin Blanchfield and he or she was calling for a title shot, so I understand how issues work and I do know that you just’ve received to earn issues. Had issues gone a bit bit totally different of a means [against Manon] I in all probability would have been in that title shot after Manon.
“It was type of bizarre not being ranked too. Can I simply get ranked now? So I feel that simply type of threw me off a bit bit. Nevertheless it was type of cool and I used to be comfortable to only—As a substitute of simply being the champ after which leaping straight right into a superfight, champ vs. champ, go up a weight class, I feel it’s type of cool to only work your means up and do it that means. I feel changing into the champ this fashion could be far more spectacular for my part, however on the similar time in the event that they wish to give me that, I’ll take it.”
Namajunas is at the moment No. 14 in MMA Combating’s Pound-for-Pound Rankings and may anticipate to have a quantity subsequent to her identify within the UFC’s official rankings after getting previous Ribas. “Thug Rose” was in a position to make use of her grappling to win parts of her combat in opposition to Ribas, however she admitted that she’s nonetheless adjusting to competing in a heavier weight class.
“I felt really fairly good,” Namajunas mentioned. “There was some issues to work on. I wasn’t as fast as I wished, like as snappy as I wished to be, however my arms are a bit larger, however I additionally may really feel my power was nice. I feel everyone thinks that I’m small or weak or one thing like that, so it’s simply good to get higher on the grappling side of issues and simply type of preserve all of my expertise up at a excessive stage, no weak point anyplace.”
