LAS VEGAS – Rose Namajunas wants UFC to grant her wish for a rematch with Carla Esparza.
Namajunas (11-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC), the reigning UFC strawweight champion, is currently waiting for her next assignment. She just beat Zhang Weili on back-to-back fights to claim and retain the throne, and now she’s looking ahead to her second defense.
In Namajunas’ mind, Esparza (18-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is the clear-cut next contender. The pair first fought at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in December 2014, where Esparza picked up a third-round submission to win the inaugural 115-pound title.
Both fighters have had ups and downs since the initial meeting, but Esparza has currently positioned herself well in the division with a five-fight winning streak. Now Namajunas wants a shot at revenge.
“It’s the only one that makes sense,” Namajunas told MMA Junkie. “I can fight anybody, but nothing really interests me other than Carla.”
Despite Esparza winning some big fights where she was the betting underdog, UFC president Dana White has been dismissive about giving her the Namajunas rematch. White recently criticized Esparza for turning down a fight with Mackenzie Dern to wait for a title shot, and indicated the promotion would be going in a different direction with the next title fight.
Namajunas said she hasn’t been approached about anything, and if it was her choice, she would like the UFC to make the Esparza rematch above all else.
“I think it’s probably maybe because she’s a wrestler or something (that they don’t want to give her the fight),” Namajunas said. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s hard for them to get behind her, but I don’t know what it is, really. I do think she was sitting out and waiting for the title shot and that wasn’t the best move, but honestly I think it just makes sense. Make it happen.”
