Out of the three championship fights at UFC 261, only one title changed hands. Rose Namajunas reclaimed the undisputed strawweight crown with a first-round knockout win over Weili Zhang.
The end happened quickly and unexpectedly. Namajunas landed a clean kick on Zhang’s jaw off of her lead leg and subsequently finished the fight in less than a minute and a half.
“Magnum” was visibly disappointed by the result, but after letting it all sink in, she released a post-fight statement on Instagram.
I want to congratulate Rose on her victory. She bounced back from her defeat. I believe I will also come back, only beat a great champion, to become a legend, and beat a legend, I will become a new me.
Before, my goal was to win the UFC championship, but today, I have a higher goal than that. Thank you! It’s normal to lose and win.
That’s the UFC. Andrade, Joanna, Rose have all lost and they all come back and try again. I have deepened my understanding of UFC today. So I believe I can come back. Hopefully, the UFC will schedule a rematch soon
UFC 261 marked Zhang’s first loss since her professional debut in 2013. She now drops to a record of 21-2.
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