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Rose Namajunas will return to the UFC cage after almost over a year's break from the sport. Having last competed in her title match loss against Jessica Andrade at UFC 237, Rose Namajunas was all set to compete at UFC 249 but the COVID-19 pandemic forced her out of the fight.
Jessica Andrade since defeating Rose Namajunas for the title hasn't had a great run herself. She immediately lost the title to Weili Zhang in August 2019. Since then she too hasn't competed. Now reports have emerged that the fight has finally been re-booked for UFC 251.
Important fight for Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade
The two have a lot on the line. For Rose Namajunas, it is about proving that she is still a very capable fighter and the possibility of securing an immediate rematch by defeating the former champion. For Jessica Andrade, it's about proving that her first win over Rose Namajunas was not a fluke and that she's actually a very capable fighter.
The two had delivered an amazing fight in their last encounter. Rose Namajunas delivering a very solid round 1. However, Jessica Andrade in the second round managed to secure a head slam and put Rose out. This slam is the reason why many dispute the win. In round 1 of the fight, Rose Namajunas had dealt with a similar slam with much ease, so most commentators think that the slam was a fluke, a wild swing that accidentally hit.
The fight is bound to be fun. Champion Weili Zhang too would be closely watching the fight given there is a very strong probability that the winner of the fight might be her next title challenger. In fact, Weili Zhang even said that she wanted to face Rose Namajunas,
"My preference is to fight Rose (Namajunas) because I believe she is the highest level and most-skilled martial artist outside of myself in the division. She would be a good challenge for me."
UFC 251 will also see former Rose Namajunas's rival Page VanZant return to active competition. She will be facing rising prospect Amanda Ribas, who's coming off a huge win over Mackenzie Dern in her last fight. The fight-card will also see thr return of former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar who will take on Pedro Munhoz, in a Bantamweight fight.
The fight card revealed so far for the event is as follows:
- Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane
- Frankie Edgar vs. Pedro Munhoz
- Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
