Nearly 3 years ago at UFC 261, Rose Namajunas captured the hearts of the UFC community with her pre-fight chant of “I’m the best. I’m the best. I’m the best.” She proved that she was in fact the best on the Strawweight Division when she recaptured the belt moments later, upsetting Zhang Weili with a head kick in the first round.
Since then, things have not gone the two time Strawweight Champion’s way. In May of 2022, Thug Rose was stripped of the belt after an unusual lackluster performance against Cookie Monster Carla Esparza.
She has only had one bout since then, a Flyweight loss to Manon Fiorot at UFC Fight Night 226 in September of 2023.
On March 23, 2024, Namajunas looks to climb back up the ranks with a headlining bout against Amanda Ribas who is ranked #8 in the division. Can Thug Rose regain that confidence and return to her former champion level form? Odds makers seem to think so.
