When Rose Namajunas knocked out Joanna Jedrzejczyk to claim the UFC women’s strawweight title in November 2017, Jedrzejczyk was not gracious in defeat. Jedrzejczyk claimed a botched weight cut was the main culprit for the loss. She continued to beat that drum up until her rematch with Namajunas in April 2018.
When the two stepped into the cage to settle things at UFC 223, Jedrzejczyk, despite her first-round knockout loss to Namajunas in the first meeting, was not the underdog in the fight. The oddsmakers listed both competitors at -115, making the contest a pick ‘em battle.
Jedrzejczyk did perform better in the second matchup, but she still fell short in her bid to regain the women’s 115-pound title, losing to Namajunas via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight for Namajunas at 49-46.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t as technical this time, but it was still good – I pulled through,” Namajunas told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the contest. “She was right – that weight cut kind of did mess her up the first time. But I’m just better, man. I feel like I could’ve been lighter on my feet this time, but I’ve got Pat Barry, the best low-kicker in the game, kicking me all the time.”
Namajunas returns to the octagon for the first time since her successful title defense over Jedrzejczyk. She puts her belt on the line against the hard-hitting and powerful Jessica Andrade in Andrade’s home country of Brazil in the main event of UFC 237. Andrade is favored in the matchup.
UFC 237 takes place on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following preliminary fights on ESPN and ESPN+.
Before that fight takes place, watch Namajunas’ win over Jedrzejczyk in their rematch right here.
