Tag: Rose Namajunas

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, April 2: Manon Fiorot climbs closer to top

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 54 in New Jersey.

Following UFC on ESPN 54, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

Making her case for a title fight even stronger, [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] shut out Erin Blanchfield in the UFC on ESPN 54 main event in front of a sold-out crowd at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. It was a dominant performance for Fiorot, who kept her UFC unbeaten record alive, while handing Blanchfield her first loss in the promotion. Entering the week at No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, Fiorot jumps two spots to claim No. 3.

Also making a splash this week is [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag], who enters the welterweight rankings after stopping Vicente Luque with heavy ground and pound. Buckley has won three straight since dropping down from middleweight, and settles in at the No. 14 spot, while Luque falls to the honorable mentions.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, March 26: Corey Anderson rises with title win

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following Bellator Champions Series: Belfast and UFC on ESPN 53 in Las Vegas.

Following UFC on ESPN 53 and Bellator Champions Series: Belfast, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

At the Bellator event in Northern Ireland, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] defeated Karl Moore by unanimous decision to claim the vacant light heavyweight title. Along with Anderson’s new hardware comes a new spot in the rankings, as he climbs from No. 6 to No. 5.

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 53, former UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] won a flyweight fight over Amanda Ribas by unanimous decision. Entering the bout unranked at 125 pounds, Namajunas now has a number next to her name, settling in at No. 12.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Rose Namajunas debuts at No. 7 in official UFC women’s flyweight rankings after win over Amanda Ribas

Rose Namajunas is one step closer in her pursuit of becoming a two-division UFC champion.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] is one step closer in her pursuit of becoming a two-division UFC champion.

After dropping her 125-pound debut to Manon Fiorot this past September, Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) has entered the official UFC women’s flyweight rankings after a win over Amanda Ribas in this past Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 headliner.

The former two-time strawweight champ debuted at No. 7, dropping Ribas to No. 9. “Thug Rose’s” entry leaft Jasmine Jasudavicius out of the rankings.

Namajunas expressed interest in a rematch with Fiorot if the French fighter can get past Erin Blanchfield in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 headliner. Namajunas also mentioned streaking contender Maycee Barber as an option.

Either way, Namajunas has no problem working her way to the title.

“I was happy to, instead of being the champ and just jumping straight into a superfight champ vs. champ, I do think it’s kind of cool to just work your way up and do it that way,” Namajunas said at the UFC on ESPN 53 post-fight press conference. “I think becoming a champ this way would be way more impressive. But at the same time, if they want to give me (a title shot), I’ll take it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Rose Namajunas after UFC on ESPN 53 win?

Former UFC champ Rose Namajunas got her first women’s flyweight win at UFC on ESPN 53, and now she’s in line for another marquee matchup

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Amanda Ribas after UFC on ESPN 53 loss?)

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] got her hand raised for the first time in nearly 2.5 years Saturday when she emerged victorious from the UFC on ESPN 53 main event vs. Amanda Ribas.

Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) outworked Ribas (12-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to a unanimous decision victory at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, moving the two-time strawweight champion to 1-1 since she joined the women’s flyweight division in September.

After her win, Namajunas named three potential opponents: the winner of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 headliner between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot, or a showdown with Maycee Barber.

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What’s the best move for “Thug Rose” going forward? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on her future after UFC on ESPN 53.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

Rose Namajunas interested in winner of Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot or Maycee Barber

Rose Namajunas lays out her potential next step, following her win over Amanda Ribas at UFC on ESPN 53.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] has her eyes on the UFC women’s flyweight title, but she knows work needs to be done first.

Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC), a former women’s strawweight champion, picked up her first win at 125 pounds Saturday against Amanda Ribas (12-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in the main event of UFC on ESPN 53. Namajunas defeated Ribas by unanimous decision in her second fight at flyweight. She lost her divisional debut this past September to [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag].

Now with a win on her resume, Namajunas aims for a top contender so she can get closer to the belt.

“I’ll be watching that Manon and [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (fight),” Namajunas said in the cage after her win. “I wanted to fight either one of those for this fight, but I lost to Manon, so if I can get a rematch with her if she wins, or even Maycee (Barber), I know she looked incredible, as well. (I’ll fight) either one of those girls.”

Blanchfield, Fiorot, and Barber currently are considered the top contenders in the women’s flyweight division. Namajunas has no problem taking any one of those next since she said she would rather earn her title shot instead of using her star power to try to campaign for an opportunity at the belt.

“I was happy to instead of being the champ and just jumping straight into a superfight – champ vs. champ – I do think it’s kind of cool to just work your way up and do it that way,” Namajunas said at the UFC on ESPN 53 post-fight press conference. “I think becoming a champ this way would be way more impressive. But at the same time, if they want to give me (a title shot), I’ll take it.”

Namajunas plans to make flyweight her new home, and doubts she’ll return to 115 pounds in the future. She’s feeling more comfortable and settled in her new weight class.

“I felt actually pretty good,” Namajunas said. “There are some things to work on. I think that I wasn’t as quick or as snappy as I wanted to be, but my arms are a little bigger and I also could feel my strength was great. I know everybody thinks that I’m small or weak, so it’s good to get better at the grappling aspect of things.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

UFC on ESPN 53 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $22,000

UFC on ESPN 53 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $148,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 53 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 53 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Luis Pajuelo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Steven Nguyen[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dariya Zheleznyakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Rendon[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mick Parkin[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,530; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $53,000 while title challengers get $53,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-53 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,669,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,406,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

UFC on ESPN 53 results: Rose Namajunas returns to win column with decision over Amanda Ribas

Former UFC champion Rose Namajunas picked up her first win since 2021 by defeating Amanda Ribas in the UFC on ESPN 53 headliner.

Former UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] picked up a much-needed victory in the main event of UFC on ESPN 53.

Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) shared the octagon with Amanda Ribas at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas in a women’s flyweight bout that went all five rounds. When the dust settled, Namajunas emerged victorious over Ribas (12-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC), picking up her first win at 125 pounds by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47).

Ribas was on the hunt early, pressing forward with punches and kicks before Namajunas could settle. Just as the former strawweight champion began finding her range with counters, Ribas switched things up with a nice takedown. The fight quickly got back to the feet, where both fighters would land clean punches before returning to the ground after Namajunas reversed a takedown.

In Round 2, Namajunas circled on the outside during striking exchanges, landing well-timed punches as Ribas looked for a few spinning kicks at the end of her combinations. The former champion’s striking advantage began to shine offensively and defensively.

Namajunas continued her success on the feet early in Round 3 by darting in and out with quick punches. Ribas missed with a few spinning attacks, but got a clean takedown, eventually taking top position after a reversal and another toss to land solid ground and pound to close out the frame.

Striking exchanges led the way in Round 4 before a takedown midway through led to Namajunas taking the top. Ribas was active from her back with short strikes, but so was Namajunas with punches to the body as she maintained position from full guard.

Ribas started the final round with hard kicks, but Namajunas soon began circling and landing clean, darting punches. Ribas continued to look for spinning attacks as she kept forward pressure. Namajunas was quick to evade, then continued to stick and move until the horn.

The judges unanimously scored the fight in Namajunas’ favor, giving the former champ her first win since 2021.

During her post-fight interview, Namajunas said she will be keeping a close eye on next weekend’s headline bout, Manon Fiorot, and Erin Blanchfield as a potential next opponent.

Namajunas’ last victory came in a strawweight title defense against current champion Zhang Weili. She would go on to lose a split decision to Carla Esparza and then a unanimous decision to Fiorot in a move to flyweight.

Ribas failed to keep the momentum going after a November win over Luana Pinheiro. She has traded wins and losses over her past seven fights, but she has been unable to string together a pair of wins since 2020.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 53 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

UFC on ESPN 53 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 53 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 53 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 53 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

UFC on ESPN 53: Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 odds between Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 5-round women’s flyweight bout in the main event, Amanda Ribas and Rose Namajunas meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 53 — also known as UFC Vegas 89 — at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 53: Ribas vs. Namajunas odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.

Records: Ribas (12-4-0) | Namajunas (12-6-0)

Ribas rebounded from a KO/TKO loss to Maycee Barber in June 2023, picking up a 3rd-round KO/TKO against Luana Pinheiro in mid-November. After 3 straight decisions, she has finished inside the distance in the past 2 outings.

Namajunas lost a split-decision championship bout at UFC 274 to Carla Esparza in May 2022, and she was unable to rebound in her return Sept. 2023 at UFC Paris against Manon Fiorot. In fact, Namajunas suffered a broken hand in that fight.

Ribas has a slight 1-inch reach advantage while posting a 4.92-to-3.68 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. The Brazilian fighter is also a lot more accurate with those strikes, landing 52.80% to just 43.65% for “Thug” Namajunas.

Ribas holds a 1.99-to-1.49 takedown average, too, while posting a 0.80-to-0.55 submission average advantage, too.

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UFC on ESPN 53: Ribas vs. Namajunas odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:30 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Ribas +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Namajunas -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
  • Over/Under: 3.5 rounds (Over -125 | Under -105)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +130 | No -175)

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UFC on ESPN 53: Ribas vs. Namajunas picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

RIBAS (+165) is an attractive pick as the moderate underdog against Namajunas (-200), the former champ.

While Ribas has ended up with 3 losses in the past 6 fights, she holds some impressive advantages in all of the major categories. She lands more significant strikes, she is more accurate, and she does a good job on takedowns and submissions, too. That will go a long way to wowing the judges.

RIBAS ON POINTS (+450) for the chance to multiply up by 4½ times is quite an attractive play worth a roll of the dice.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES (+130): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE? is a strong value at plus-money.

Ribas hasn’t gone the distance in the past 2 fights, although the most recent bout with Pinheiro was just 67 seconds short of going all the way. Prior to the past bouts, she had gone the distance 3 times while needing the help of the judges to determine a winner in 5 of the past 9 outings.

For Namajunas, she has gone the distance in 3 straight bouts, and 4 of the past 5 outings.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC on ESPN 53 video: Amanda Ribas, Rose Namajunas have serious final faceoff

Amanda Ribas and Rose Namajunas engaged in their first and only staredown ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 main event.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] and [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] had respectful but confident demeanours when they crossed paths for the final time ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 main event.

Ribas (12-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will take on former two-time strawweight champion Namajunas (11-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a women’s flyweight headliner at the UFC Apex (ESPN, ESPN+), and after both athletes made weight on Friday morning, they came together for a staredown in front of the cameras.

Neither women had had anything bad to say about the others in the build-up to the five-round matchup, and that attitude carried over into being all business at the faceoff.

Check out the video above to see the Ribas vs. Namajunas final faceoff before UFC on ESPN 53.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.