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UFC Strawweight contender Rose Namajunas spoke to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani and gave her views on her upcoming bout at Fight Island. ‘Thug’ Rose is slated to face off against former champion Jessica Andrade in a highly anticipated rematch. The first fight ended in an electrifying finish which saw Andrade pick up the victory via head slam.

Namajunas is coming off a long lay-off from her previous match-up and question surround her performance inside the cage. She suffered great personal loss as two family members passed away due to COVID-19. ‘Thug’ Rose was originally booked to return in April but understandably withdrew following the aforementioned circumstances.

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Rose Namajunas on fighting Weili Zhang

Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Namajunas previewed a potential fight against the current divisional queen Weili Zhang

“I’d love to fight her one day. She’s a true martial artist and like she’s the sh**. But yeah I’m only thinking about this fight right now. And if something happens to Andrade and she steps in then great, but this is what is happening right now”.

Zhang captured the 115-pound strap after successfully finishing Jessica Andrade back in August. The champion expressed a sentiment to fight against ‘Thug’ Rose and it seems as though there is mutual interest.

The former TUF finalist also touched upon various other aspects related to the current strawweight queen. She spoke out on the potential ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate bout that Zhang was a part of in March.

“It was a great fight, and both of them are savages for sure. However, the only gripe I have about it being the best fight ever is that people always say that. I don’t think that’s a good thing, based on the way the best fights are looked at”.

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“It’s always a lack of defense, people are just getting hit a lot. To me, that’s not the best fight ever”– Rose Namajunas.

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The ever bubbly and affable former champion once again proved why she’s beloved by MMA fans. Her candid nature has been an endearing feature ever since her arrival on the scene. ‘Thug’ Rose has a tall task ahead of her as she readies herself to rematch ‘Bate Estaca’ Jessica Andrade.