Namajunas Vs. Zhang 3? ‘That’d Be Great’ … At Flyweight

Rose Namajunas is staying put in the women’s 125-pound division.

It’s been three years since Namajunas (11-6) had her hand raised inside the Octagon. At the time, “Thug” was amid her second reign as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Strawweight champion when she won a split decision in her rematch against Zhang Weili at UFC 268 in November 2021.

A lackluster split decision loss followed for Namajunas in another rematch when she took on Carla Esparza (watch lowlights) after that second consecutive Zhang win. Namajunas, 31, left the division afterward to make her Flyweight debut opposite France’s Manon Fiorot, who defeated the former champion via unanimous decision at UFC Paris in September 2023.

Namajunas is now gearing up for her sophomore appearance at 125 pounds with Strawweight in the rear-view mirror. The Denver, Col., resident will battle Amanda Ribas in UFC Vegas 89’s main event this weekend (Sat., March 23, 2024).

“I just think like health-wise, to me, it’s just not a healthy thing to do for me at this point,” Namajunas said of Strawweight at UFC Vegas 89 media day. “I know that I can keep pushing through. My mind got a lot stronger with cutting the weight, but I could tell my body was definitely not liking that as much.

“I could tell from my last Strawweight cut my eyes were sunken in, and it was kind of hard to see myself like that,” she continued. “Even though the will gets stronger, the flesh gets weaker. So, to me, I’m all about health and wellness. Even though we’re about to go and fight, but I want to preserve as much as possible.”

Since Namajunas’ last victory, the aforementioned former champion, Zhang, reclaimed the title with a second round rear-naked choke over Esparza (watch highlights) at UFC 281 in November 2022. Therefore, fans have questioned Namajunas’ choice to remain at Flyweight, especially after the Fiorot loss.

Ultimately, Namajunas is happy to leave things as they are in her Zhang rivalry but would revisit them if the current Strawweight queenpin were in to make the move up in weight class.

“No, not at all,” Namajunas responded when asked if it was hard to decide against Strawweight because of her wins over Zhang. “Two wins is two wins, so I have that. If she moves up to Flyweight, then that’d be great. I’ll fight her a third time, but to me, it’s like, I’m very happy for her. I hope she holds the belt for a long time. I think it’s just a testament to both of our skills. I wish all the best for her.”

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