Rose Namajunas is gearing up for her long-awaited return to action. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamato, “Thug Rose” will defend her Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s Strawweight title against Jessica Andrade.
The title fight — which was confirmed by UFC president Dana White — is set to go down at the upcoming UFC 237 pay-per-per (PPV) event on May 11, 2019, in Brazil; however, an exact location has yet-to-be determined. Indeed, Namajunas will attempt to defend her strap for the second time in enemy territory, as Andrade will enjoy home field advantage for her first-ever championship bout.
Andrade punched her ticket to the big dance after reeling off three impressive wins over Tecia Torres, Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Claudia Gadelha. Her win streak was good enough to secure the No. 1 spot over former champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. In fact, “Pitbull’s” last loss came at the hands of “Joanna champion” 1.5 years ago.
Winning the belt should take care of those pesky bills.
Namajunas, meanwhile, has been on the sidelines tending to a neck injury since defending her title against Jedrzejczyk at UFC 223 in April 2018. “Thug Rose” hasn’t tasted defeat since 2016, holding back-to-back wins over the aforementioned Jedrzejczyk. Winning six of her last seven fights, Namajunas is looking to nab second straight title defense.
Early predictions?
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