With her victory over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 89, Rose Namajunas has now joined the likes of Nunes, Andrade, and Shevchenko in an all-time winner’s circle.
Still only 31 years young, there’s plenty of time for Rose Namajunas to work her way back towards a UFC world title and now having established herself in a new weight class, ‘Thug’ is back on a mission for gold.
Rose Namajunas returns to the win column at UFC Vegas 89
Utilizing her notable speed advantage and experience to draw out the bout on the feet, Namajunas was in control for much of the contest last night at the Apex, earning a unanimous decision victory over Ribas with the judges’ scorecards reading 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47.
It’s a vitally important victory for Namajunas, who gets back into the win column after being written off by many fans and pundits following back-to-back defeats to Carla Esparza and then Manon Fiorot in her flyweight debut.
Prior to the contest, Namajunas was not officially ranked in the 125lb division, with Amanda Ribas placed as the #8 ranked best flyweight in the world.
‘Thug’ now enters an elite circle of women to have 10 wins in the UFC
Whilst the American’s legacy as one of the best female fighters in UFC history was determined long before last night’s main event, the victory does earn her a rather impressive spot on an all-time list of stars.
Following the unanimous decision victory over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 89 last night, Rose Namajunas is now one of only ten female athletes to have earned 10 or more wins inside the UFC octagon.
This ‘elite circle’ of female athletes, now featuring the former strawweight queen, includes the following fighters:
- Amanda Nunes – 16
- Jessica Andrade – 16
- Raquel Pennington – 13
- Valentina Shevchenko – 12
- Katlyn Cerminara – 11
- Angela Hill – 11
- Carla Esparza – 10
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk – 10
- Gillian Robertson – 10
- Rose Namajunas – 10
Whilst ‘Thug’ is now competing in the strawweight division, she also remains incredibly close to tying three other all-time UFC records should she ever make the move back down again to 115lbs: Most wins (9), Most Finishes (5), and Most submissions (3).
Namajunas is open to facing ‘savage’ Maycee Barber in next fight
Speaking to Paul Felder in the octagon, Namajunas noted that she’ll be closely watching Erin Blachfield vs Manon Fiorot in next weekend’s UFC Fight Night in the hopes of getting a rematch against the French contender.
If the winner of Blanchfield vs Fiorot is instead set up for a title fight, Namajunas said at the post-fight press conference that she’d also be willing to face Maycee Barber in her next bout:
“I think she’s a savage, she’s a big girl, she’s strong and is just like a bully in there. I knew her when she was really young and she’s a lot different now; she used to call me out back when she was younger, so I think that’s kind of funny.”
“She’s really tough – that would definitely motivate me and get me going every day ‘cause I know that she throws with really bad intentions,” said the TUF alumni.
Rose Namajunas improved her professional record to 12-6 with the decision win last night and is expected to be ranked within the Top 8 of the women’s flyweight division come Tuesday.