Was the first Jessica Andrade-Rose Namajunas fight a fluke or nah?
For the better part of a round and a half, [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] was in full control of her UFC 237 strawweight title defense against [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]. Then, in the blink of an eye, Andrade (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) slammed Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) onto the mat on her neck and shoulders, a knockout slam which doubled as one of the sport’s all-time scary moments before it became clear Namajunas was going to be all right.
The notion Andrade’s title win in May 2019 was something of a fluke didn’t lose any steam after Andrade then went out three months later and lost the title to Zhang Weili in just 41 seconds.
Now, the duo finally rematch after various fits and starts. Was the first fight, to paraphrase the late Dennis Green, what we thought it was? And a couple related side questions: Is Namajunas, the wonderfully talented competitor who has always been forthright about her misgivings about the business, ever going to be the same after such a loss? Or is Andrade the world-class competitor she’s never quite gotten the recognition for in spite of a title reign? This fight should serve as a referendum on both.
[opinary poll=”whats-your-pick-for-jessica-andrade-vs-r-zuR5Yq” customer=”mmajunkie”]