Nolan King: Rematch Jessica Andrade
Rose Namajunas vs. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] is the perfect fight to make. They both are former champions, who in their last outings suffered devastating stoppage losses. In May Namajunas was slammed and knocked out by Andrade, who four months later was bowled over by current UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili.
Neither Namajunas nor Andrade, in my opinion, deserves a championship rematch at this point in time. Nor is it in their best interests. Namajunas’ loss was a tough pill for her to swallow both physically and mentally. Meanwhile, Andrade never successfully defended her belt and was decisively beaten in her first attempt.
This all, of course, can be added to the fact these two have past history. The UFC 237 headliner left some unanswered questions. Prior to the finish, Namajunas was looking the best she ever has. Her striking was fast and crisp. She was flowing inside the cage, conducting a symphony of punches, knees, kicks, and elbows.
I fully understand matchmaking can’t always be perfect in MMA. Moving parts such as timing, availability, and willingness to take on a certain opponent can make the best matchups impossible. However, it’s not like Weili doesn’t have other worthy contenders chomping at the bit. There are still big championship fights to be made right now at 115 pounds excluding Namajunas and Andrade. Tatiana Suarez has done enough to warrant her shot. Joanna Jedrzejczyk is coming off a beautiful, dominant win over Michelle Waterson.
Strawweight is plentiful. So let’s book Andrade vs. Namajunas 2.
Next page – Mike Bohn: Fight for the title