Rose Namajunas has never been one to take the easy path in her fighting career. The former two-time strawweight champion shocked many fans when she moved up to flyweight in 2023, leaving behind her throne at 115 pounds to chase new challenges. Her flyweight journey started rocky with some mixed results, including a tough loss to Erin Blanchfield that had people questioning if the move was worth it. But ‘Thug Rose’ has always bounced back from setbacks with style and determination.<\/p>
Saturday night in Atlanta proved that Namajunas still has plenty left in the tank at 125 pounds. She dominated Miranda Maverick in the co-main event, showing the striking skills and fight IQ that made her a champion at strawweight. The victory moved her record at flyweight to 3-2 and solidified her spot as the seventh-ranked contender in the division. More importantly, it put her back on track toward her ultimate goal of becoming a two-division champion. After the fight, Namajunas made it clear she’s ready to take on the biggest names available.<\/p>
Namajunas didn’t waste time calling out specific opponents during the post-fight press conference. She mentioned two names that caught everyone’s attention: former flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and rising contender Natalia Silva. Both fighters represent different challenges, but Namajunas seemed particularly interested in the Grasso matchup. She explained her reasoning with the kind of tactical thinking that’s made her such a successful UFC<\/a> fighter over the years.<\/p> “I think Alexa Grasso would probably be stylistically a little bit better for me. I think Natalia, her speed is very tricky and she sustains it for a very long time. She (Silva) would be I think more of a trickier fight. But Alexa has the experience in terms of the title fights and everything like that.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>