Unlike most people, Rose Namajunas doesn’t think Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the frontrunner for “Fight of the Year.”
Weili and Jedrzejczyk engaged in a brutal back-and-forth battle at UFC 248 in March, which left Jedrzejczyk with a massive hematoma on her forehead, as both women stood in the middle of the octagon and traded for 25 minutes. Weili retained her title in a narrow decision, but she had to dig deep, with Jedrzejczyk taking her to the brink.
While Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) acknowledges that both women showed incredible toughness, she disagrees with the criteria of what defines a great fight.
She thinks a spectacular fight should consist of more technique and movement, rather than both fighters slugging it out and taking so much damage.
“It was a great fight and both of them are some savages for sure,” Namajunas told ESPN. “However, the only gripe that I have about it being like the best fight ever or whatever is that people always say that, and I don’t think that’s a good thing.
“I don’t think it’s a good thing to have the best fight ever based on how people look at the best fights ever. If you think about the best fights when people say that, it’s always a lack of defense, people that are getting hit a lot. To me, that’s not the best fight ever.”
In 2017, Namajunas shocked the world by dethroning Jedrzejczyk with a first-round knockout at UFC 217 to capture the strawweight title.
She emerged with the belt int the rematch a few months later, using her slick movement and striking to outpoint her over the course of five rounds at UFC 223.
“If you look at my second fight with Joanna – because that went all five rounds – my head movement was (slick),” Namajunas said. “I mean, I got a little bit of a busted lip, a little scratch here and there, but that was mostly from me slipping the punches like perfectly out of the way. So to me, it was an awesome display of heart and I was truly impressed with both of them, but at the same time only so much. It wasn’t the best fight ever. I look at fights differently than most the fans do.”
One recent fight that Namajunas did really enjoy, was the UFC on ESPN 11 co-main event between Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos, which took at the Apex Center in Las Vegas this past month.
Emmett edged out Burgos in a throughly entertaining bout, rallying late to pull away with the decision. Both men were awarded the “Fight of the Night” honor in a high-octane contest where Emmett used his power to drop Burgos, who never stopped pressing forward, on numerous occasions.
“You know what was the greatest fight ever recently was Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos,” Namajunas said. “That was a beautiful display of like both two different styles – to me, that was the ‘Fight of the Year.’”
Rose Namajunas explains why Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk isn't 'Fight of the Year'
