The best and worst from UFC 223

#2 Best: Namajunas keeps it fresh in the Strawweight division

Rose Namajunas defended her Strawweight title after a tough rematch with Joanna Jedrzejczyk

It was a close fight in the end – I had it 48-47 – but when all was said and done, Rose Namajunas picked up a unanimous decision win over former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk to retain her UFC Women’s Strawweight title.

The story of the fight was that for the first two rounds, Namajunas’ movement prevented Jedrzejczyk from using her favourite weapons – her jab and her left hook – to set up her trademark combinations and allowed the champion to land cleaner counters, but as the fight went on, Joanna’s leg kicks slowed Rose down enough to make her somewhat of an easier target. But when it came down to it, Namajunas edged the fifth round to win the fight.

Not only was the fight entertaining, but the result means much fresher fights in the future for the Strawweight division as a whole. Prior to losing her title, Jedrzejczyk had made five successful defences, and those fights were largely one-sided, meaning if she’d beaten Namajunas, the only future fights for her would’ve been tricky-to-sell rematches.

Namajunas, on the other hand, has yet to face Jessica Andrade and Claudia Gadelha, and while she has fought Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Tecia Torres previously, they were both very close fights. Basically, Namajunas retaining the title ensures fresh matches at 115lbs down the line, and that’s only a good thing.