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Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza will meet again at UFC 274 on May 7. The two athletes were contestants on The Ultimate Fighter season 20. Esparza and Namajunas both went 3-0 on the show to ultimately meet each other in the finale. 'Cookie Monster' had her hand raised to become the UFC's inaugural strawweight champion.
Watch The Ultimate Fighter season 20 finale below:
Though Esparza reigned supreme in their 2014 meeting, both fighters have improved in spades. The most improved seems to be current champion Namajunas. She's gone 9-2 since the initial fight with Esparza and is now a two-time strawweight champion.
The fight at UFC 274 looks set to be close. It's possible that 'Cookie Monster' may have 'Thug' Rose's number and walk away victorious once again. However, the incumbent champion has looked phenomenal of late and is undefeated in rematches, so she may even the score.
Here are 5 keys to victory for Rose Namajunas:
#5. Rose Namajunas must ward off takedowns
It's no secret that Esparza will be looking to take the champion down. Securing the top position will be 'Cookie Monster's best path to victory. The only issue with this is that Rose Namajunas is a much more complete fighter than in 2014. Taking her down and controlling her will be much more difficult.
Rose Namajunas will need to impose her style while being incredibly mindful of the wrestling threat from her opposition. For 'Thug' Rose to retain her belt, she'll need to ward off takedowns, which will be attempted early and often.
No matter how well-rounded she may be, Namajunas has been working best from her feet of late in her career. Both times she's won the belt, it's been from entertaining a striking contest. If there was ever a fight where she's the better striker, it's against Esparza.
#4. Force scrambles
On paper, with a 51% takedown defense, Namajunas, 29, will make her opponent work hard for the takedowns. However, this fight hitting the mat may be an eventuality. When/if this happens, Namajunas would be wise not to settle in a losing position.
'Cookie Monster' is adept at scoring takedowns, but the real problem is when she gets comfortable on top. She tends to move into dominant positions, leaving her opponents stuck and damaged, as seen in her most recent victory over Xiaonan Yan.
Rose Namajunas, if taken down, will need to get to work immediately. If she can keep the momentum going, she'll have much more success with getting to her feet, where she should have an easier route to victory. Utilizing her submission skills or even just the threat of ssubmissions,will significantly help her work her way to her feet.
#3. Fight long
Namajunas is on the better side of a two-inch reach discrepancy entering UFC 274. The champion should utilize every bit of this advantage, for it'll play perfectly into the game plan of staying on the outside and avoiding being taken down.
The champion is ever-improving. Namajunas' striking seems to be more refined with each outing in the octagon. A rather rangy build will aid 'Thug' Rose keep Esparza from fighting her typical suffocating style. The closer, the better for 'Cookie Monster.' Namajunas will have to keep space between them to make the most out of it.
Beyond this, Namajunas will need to stay true to the fundamentals. Popping her jab and prodding kicks up the middle will slowly chip away at the former champion's confidence, and the fight will tilt in favor of Namajunas retaining her belt.
#2. Mix in takedowns of her own
The strawweight queen is expected to be at her most dominant if this bout is a striking affair, but she's not a single-faceted fighter. Namajunas has won five of 11 bouts by submission, and she has excellent wrestling chops.
As seen in her rematches against Zhang and Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Namajunas is capable of scoring clutch takedowns. If she can mix in her takedowns and striking, this will open up more opportunities for victory for the champion.
The 29-year-old is a threat anywhere in the octagon, but to optimize her skills, she'll possibly look to be as unpredictable as possible by blending techniques.
#1. Remain composed
"Confidence, conditioning, composure, content - I'm a champion."
This phrase is the mantra that Rose Namajunas follows. These are all words that have become synonymous with Namajunas in the latest portion of her career. 'Thug' Rose will look to live up to all of the aforementioned descriptive words as she competes once more at UFC 274.
History shows that a calm Namajunas is a dangerous contestant. When she first locked horns with Esparza, she appeared to be rushing things. This led to many mistakes, which the champion fixed in time.
Namajunas has an almost super-human ability to perform under pressure. When the fighter from Colorado initially fought for the title, she was a massive underdog and dealt with the harsh words of Jędrzejczyk for weeks. Regardless, Namajunas remained poised to perform to the best of her ability to become the new champion.
A composed Namajunas is one of the most calculated champions in the UFC. The skills are there, the training has honed in on her ability, and all that's left is to perform.
