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Carla Esparza believes Rose Namajunas was the deserving winner in her rematch against Zhang Weili at UFC 268.
Namanujas edged out a close split decision in her favor in the card's co-main event at Madison Square Garden. While many have been skeptical of the decision, 'Cookie Monster' thinks her next opponent was the winner as Weili couldn't manage to capitalize on the good positions she had during the fight. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Esparza said:
"Yeah, I thought Rose won. I thought she won the fight. I watched it a few times and obviously both people had their moments in their fight, but I felt that she was the sharper fighter, she was the more accurate fighter Zhang wasn't able to do too much usually when she would get the great positions. I didn't like the mount she got at the end of the second [round]."
Watch Carla Esparza talk about Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili 2:
'Thug Rose' earned a stunning knockout finish in her first fight against 'Magnum' to once again become the strawweight queen. While the rematch was a much closer affair, Namajunas again was the victor and successfully defended her title.
Carla Esparza takes on Rose Namajunas in a rematch at UFC 274
Namajunas and Esparza first fought in The Ultimate Fighter 20 finale, with 'Cookie Monster' claiming a submission win. Esparza became the first-ever UFC women's strawweight champion in the process.
However, a lot has changed since that contest. 'Thug Rose' is a much-evolved fighter with sharpened skill sets. On the other hand, Esparza has been through ups and downs in her career. However, the 34-year-old is currently on a five-fight winning streak heading into UFC 274.
Namajunas will be determined to level the scoring against her former foe. Esparza will look to reclaim her spot as the division's champion.
This coming weekend, the UFC 274 pay-per-view card will be headlined by the lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje. A much-anticipated contest between Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson is also set to take place at the Footprint Center arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
