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In the co-main event of UFC 261, Rose Namajunas regained the UFC strawweight title. In doing so, 'Thug' Rose became the first female champion in UFC history to lose her belt and regain it.
Rose Namajunas secured an emphatic win for herself when she knocked out Zhang Weili, via a brutal head kick KO. The win also marked Namajunas' second reign as UFC strawweight champion.
After her victory at UFC 261, Namajunas addressed the crowd by apologizing for her pre-fight political comments towards Weili that seemingly triggered a lot of people.
The first time around, Rose Namajunas lost the UFC strawweight championship to Jessica Andrade, with whom Thug Rose shared the UFC 261 card. In the main event of UFC 237 in 2019, Namajunas lost the title to the Brazilian in the second round of their bout.
However, the following year, Namajunas got back in the win column when she defeated Andrade in a non-title rematch. The Brazilian had already lost the UFC strawweight title to Zhang Weili by that point and shortly afterward, moved to the UFC's women's flyweight division.
Who could be Rose Namajunas' first title challenger after UFC 261?
Rose Namajunas has shared the octagon with some of the finest strawweight fighters in the UFC so far. 'Thug' Rose already has two wins over former strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk but a third fight could potentially be in the making after Joanna seemingly claimed that she is willing to take more money fights.
However, a rematch between Namajunas and Weili shouldn't be written off either. Immediately after her loss at UFC 261, the former champion made it clear that she will return stronger than ever and will aim to regain the UFC strawweight championship. Dana White also said in the post-fight press conference that the Weili vs Namajunas rematch is the fight to make.
But with the likes of Mackenzie Dern, Carla Esparza, and Yan Xiaonan also making a rise through the UFC strawweight division, Rose Namajunas could potentially face a fresh and brand new challenger during her second reign as the strawweight champion.
