Newsflash: Rose Namajunas is Stone Cold Evil as She Promises Joanna Jedrzejczyk a Rematch… But There’s a Catch…
The two strawweight fights between Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk have been very good for Women’s Mixed Martial Arts. They’re both high-level fighters with the charisma to sell pay-per-views. They’re fascinating human beings. And they managed to conjure up a great rivalry to boot.
Who can forget the build-up to their first meeting at UFC 217, in November 2017? Joanna was all “The Boogeywoman is coming,” while Namajunas stood opposite her with a stony gaze, reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Joe Rogan called it one of the most intense situations he’s ever been in.
Ultimately ‘Thug’ Rose won both of their fights. If Joanna had won, then they could have had a trilogy fight. Losing twice has killed that buzz. Jedrezejcyk maintains that she won the second fight though and that she’s the best fighter in the division. With this in mind, Namajunas has promised her one last rematch on one evil condition.
Not Interested
Namajunas is about as interested in this fight as the fans are. I.e not at all. It’s over and done with now, time to move on Joanna. The first fight at UFC 217 was a resounding knockout. The second, at UFC 223 in April, was much closer, but most analysts agree that Namajunas won by 3 rounds to 2.
“Right now, that fight doesn’t really interest me at the moment,” Namajunas told TMZ. “I think I’d be interested to see how she does with somebody else before even entertaining that possibility. At the moment, there’s not much to gain from running that back again.”
She’s literally said nothing wrong there. Whatever Joanna ‘Champion’ thinks, she has to get in line and work her way back up the division, starting with Tecia Torres in July. Torres has already criticised the Polish fighter for her lack of humility towards the legitimate champion in the division.
One Way Back
There is one way back though, according to Namajunas. She said that if Jedrejczyk was willing to be humble that she can cut the line. The chances of that happening are about as likely as Donald Trump deleting his Twitter because he realized it’s an unprofessional way of connecting with the world. It’s never going to happen.
“Unless she says I’m the best – publicly!” said Namajunas. “Publicly because I already know she knows. You gotta say it to everybody! She knows I’m the best but she won’t admit it to everybody.”
Don’t bet on it.
Return
Despite being fit and healthy, a month since her first ever title defense, Namajunas has yet to be given a new opponent. It’s highly likely to be Jessica Andrade, who looked unbelievable when she brutalized Tecia Torres and Claudia Galdelha in her last two fights.
With her brawling style, ridiculous strength and cardio, she is seen as a nightmare match-up for Namajunas’s style. However, one thing is important to remember. Andrade’s last defeat was against the former champion. ‘Thug’ Rose has beaten her twice.
