Rose Namajunas underwent successful surgery following UFC 251

Rose Namajunas got a win back over Jessica Andrade in an excellent fight at UFC 251. While it was a three-round fight this time around, it still went longer than their last encounter a year ago in Brazil, where Andrade beat Rose Namajunas by a head slam to claim the UFC Strawweight Championship.

Both fighters made major improvements this time around and Rose Namajunas did enough to secure the victory and potentially a Strawweight title shot against Weili Zhang next.

It appears that Rose Namajunas may have taken more damage in the win because Ariel Helwani of ESPN confirmed that the former Strawweight Champion just underwent successful nose surgery:

Surprisingly, Rose Namajunas has only received a 30-day medical suspension, which is six times lesser than UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman, who could be out up to 180 days pending clearance via a nasal x-ray.

Rose Namajunas' next big step

Rose Namajunas admitted recently that she's been scouting Weili Zhang for a while. Referring to her as a "master", she knows how tough a match-up she's going to be.

One could argue that Weili Zhang will present Rose Namajunas with her toughest test to date. Both women hold victories over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, with Rose Namajunas defeating her once by TKO and the other by a decision.

Weili Zhang's fight with Jedrzeczyk, however, remains an all-time classic and while it only happened in March this year, it's been widely regarded as the greatest fight in Women's MMA history.

It's hard to argue against it, certainly on the big stage. Weili Zhang presents the evolution of Women's MMA and she's likely to be an overwhelming favorite against Rose Namajunas if they do fight.

However, given that Rose Namajunas just underwent surgery, the question is as to whether they'll be able to fight at the end of the year.