Rose Namajunas won’t run it back with Jessica Andrade at UFC 249, after all.
[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] won’t run it back with [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] at UFC 249, after all.
Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is out of the rematch with fellow former strawweight champion Andrade (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) on April 18. The fight was expected to co-headline the April 18 card, which will reportedly take place at Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, Calif.
MMA Junkie confirmed Namajunas’ withdrawal with a person close to the situation following an initial report from Brazilian news outlet Combate. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
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The reason behind Namajunas’ removal from the card is unclear. It’s also not known if a replacement opponent will be found for Andrade.
Andrade vs. Namajunas was supposed to be the second encounter between the pair after Andrade took the UFC’s 115-pound title from Namajunas by slam knockout last May at UFC 237.
The latest UFC 249 lineup now includes:
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
Not quite the “baddest ever card in MMA history,” but the revamped UFC 249 lineup certainly has some fights of significance.
It might not fit Dana White’s description as the “baddest ever card in MMA history,” but the revamped UFC 249 lineup certainly has some fights of significance.
With the coronavirus pandemic impacting the sports world as a whole, the UFC was not immune. The promotion postponed three events but remained focused on hosting UFC 249 on April 18, even after travel restrictions were implemented around the globe and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov – who was supposed to fight [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] in the main event – fell off the card.
Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) now meets [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) for the interim lightweight title in the headliner, but the UFC still has not announced an official location, although broadcast partner ESPN reported on Sunday that a venue on the West Coast is close to being finalized.
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The situation has caused UFC matchmakers to shuffle the deck from the original UFC 249 lineup meant for Brooklyn, N.Y. Some fights have fallen off, while others were added.
UFC officials announced on Monday that the strawweight rematch between former champions [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will remain as the co-main event, and a heavyweight fight between [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) – who were originally booked for UFC on ESPN 8 on March 28 – have been added to the main card.
Other notable matchups include: [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (28-17 MMA, 15-16 UFC) at featherweight; [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) vs. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at middleweight; and [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at heavyweight.
The broadcast plans are unknown, but the latest UFC 249 lineup includes:
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]
Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]
[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sarah Moras[/autotag]
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]
Ahead of Jessica Andrade’s planned April 18 showdown with Rose Namajunas at UFC 249, relive her top UFC finishes
Not many UFC strawweights have the finishing abilities of [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag].
A former UFC women’s strawweight champion, Andrade (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) has picked up five finishes in her UFC tenure since her promotional debut in July 2013.
In September 2014, Andrade picked up her first UFC finish – a first-round guillotine choke of Larissa Pacheco at UFC Fight Night 51.
At UFC 199 in June 2016, Andrade notched the first TKO victory of her UFC career when she finished Jessica Penne with punches in Round 2.
One fight later, Andrade submitted Joanne Calderwood by first-round guillotine chocke at UFC 203 in September 2016.
Her next finish victory came two years later in November 2018. At UFC 228, Andrade finished Karolina Kowalkiewicz with a massive walk-off punch in Round 1.
The win over Kowalkiewicz set Andrade up with her second UFC title shot. Unlike her 2017 loss to then-champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Andrade’s sophomore title effort was successful.
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Taking on Rose Namajanas, Andrade weathered a tough opening seven minutes. As the eight-minute mark approached, Andrade elevated and slammed Namajunas on her head. Namajunas was knocked out cold on impact, and UFC title gold was wrapped around Andrade’s waist.
Ahead of Jessica Andrade’s scheduled April 18 showdown with Rose Namajunas at UFC 249 (if UFC officials can secure a location during the ongoing global pandemic), relive her top UFC finishes in the video above.
Before Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade rematch at UFC 249, relive their first fight – which ended it emphatic fashion.
[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] was on the receiving end of one of [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]’ most masterful in-cage performances – until Andrade grabbed a leg and slammed the champ head-first on the canvas.
After largely being picked apart for the first seven minutes of their strawweight title bout at UFC 237 in May 2019, Andrade clinched Namajunas against the cage. As she attempted to counter the lift of Andrade, Namajunas grabbed wrist control.
UFC commentator Dominick Cruz praised Namajunas’ defense, right before the Brazilian challenger elevated and slammed the American on her head.
Andrade became the first Brazilian strawweight champion in the division’s history and only the third woman from Brazil to wear UFC gold. The knockout not only earned Andrade her $100,000 win bonus, but a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus, as well.
Since that fight 11 months ago, Andrade has competed once – a title loss to Weili Zhang in August 2019. As for Namajunas, she hasn’t competed since losing her title and even briefly considered retirement.
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On April 18, Andrade (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) are scheduled to meet once again, assuming the UFC can find a place to host the event during the ongoing global pandemic. This time, the UFC title won’t be on the line. However, it’s likely the victor of the UFC 249 co-main event will propel themself back into the title picture with a win.
Relive Jessica Andrade’s slam finish of Rose Namajunas in the video above.
A definitive ranking of the UFC women’s champions since 2012.
Since UFC president Dana White introduced women to the promotion in Novermber 2012, there have been some dominant champions and stars.
Ronda Rousey rose to superstardom, helping open the door for many aspiring female fighters and the possibilities that come with it. In addition to bantamweight, the UFC later created three more weight classes, including two by using “The Ultimate Fighter” to crown inaugural strawweight and flyweight champions.
With 14 UFC women’s champions through March 2020, below is a ranking of their status.
Without further ado …
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14. Germaine de Randamie (0 title defenses as featherweight champion)
[autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] won the inaugural UFC featherweight title in a hard-fought battle against Holly Holm at UFC 208, but her reign did not last long.
The Dutch kickboxer was meant to make her first title defense against Cris Cyborg, but she was unwilling to fight Cyborg because of her history with performance enhancing drugs. When the matchup never materialized, the UFC stripped de Randamie of her belt. She proceeded to move back down bantamweight
Watch every slam finish in UFC history, including Jessica Andrade’s championship winning throw over Rose Namajunas.
There’s nothing quite like the impact of a slam knockout, especially when it’s least expected.
Just like the most recent slam delivered courtesy of [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag], who came from behind to dethrone then-UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at this past May’s UFC 237 in Brazil.
From comeback wins to title defenses, and fighters knocking themselves out, check out the latest video compilation published by the UFC showing every slam knockout in promotional history. For those who haven’t seen these finishes, we won’t spoil who won or how – but the compilation includes:
Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade – UFC 237 (May 11, 2019)
Gerald Harris vs. David Branch – UFC 116 (July 3, 2010)
Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton – UFC 34 (Nov. 2, 2001)
Gabriel Benitez vs. Humberto Bandenay – UFC Fight Night 129 (May 19, 2018)
Galore Bafando vs. Charlie Ward – UFC Fight Night 113 (July 16, 2017)
Frank Shamrock vs. Igor Zinoviev – UFC 16 (March 13, 1998)
A rematch between former strawweight champions is on tap for UFC 249.
A rematch between former strawweight champions is on tap for UFC 249.
Less than a year after [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] scored a stunning slam knockout of [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] to claim the title, the pair will run it back in April.
On Thursday, MMA Junkie confirmed with two people close to the situation that Andrade (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) have verbally agreed to a second fight at UFC 249. The people requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement. News of the fight being finalized was first reported by ESPN.com.
UFC 249 takes place April 18 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The main card streams on pay-per-view following prelims likely on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
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Andrade, 28, will attempt to put herself back near the top of the heap at 115 pounds after holding the strap for less than four months. After beating Namajunas at UFC 237 in May, the Brazilian went into enemy territory and was quickly knocked out by Zhang Weili to spell the end of her run as champ.
Many believe Andrade got the title in somewhat lucky fashion, as she delivered a rare knockout against Namajunas, 27, in a fight she was decisively losing prior to the finish. Namajunas hasn’t competed since that brutal finish and openly questioned whether she would continue to compete. She ultimately decided to press forward and will get a shot at vengeance in the rematch.
With the addition, the UFC 249 lineup now includes:
Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson – for lightweight title
A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
* * * *
EVENTS
The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.
Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).
Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.
The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).
The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.
“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.
At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).
The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).
The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).
In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.
The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.
“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.
The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.
The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.
“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.
Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.
Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.
“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.
A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.
A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.
A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.
One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)
There are options out there for Rose Namajunas – it’s just a matter of which one makes sense.
Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has been out of action since May, when she lost her title to Jessica Andrade by knockout via a devastating slam. In the immediate aftermath, the 27-year-old Namajunas expressed doubt about fighting ever again. But six months later, she’s talking about a return to the cage and says the UFC has even offered her a fight that she’s considering. So what makes sense for “Thug” Rose’s return? Farah Hannoun, Nolan King and Mike Bohn sound off in this edition of “Triple Take.”
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Farah Hannoun: Fight Tatiana Suarez
Now that Rose Namajunas is rejuvenated, it shouldn’t take long for her to climb back to the top, considering her accolades in the division. But since she didn’t determine an exact date for a return, a No. 1 contender fight with [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag] to determine the next strawweight title challenger should be next.
Suarez also has been sidelined as she recovers from an injury, but is on the cusp of title contention. With champion Zhang Weili likely to face former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk next, a fight between Namajunas and Suarez to determine who’s next would work out well. Despite losing her last fight, Namajunas was in the middle of a striking masterclass against Jessica Andrade before a pivotal mistake cost her.
While an argument can be made for both Namajunas and Suarez to get the next title shot, neither has given a date for a return, but their timelines could coincide. A very worthy challenger would emerge from such a high-caliber fight, which is why it makes so much sense.