From one flyweight champion to another, Henry Cejudo thinks Alexa Grasso has got her hands full with one title contender in particular.
Namajunas Wants A Crack At The Belt
After going 1-2 in her last three fights, Rose Namajunas put together back-to-back wins at UFC Denver where she defeated Tracy Cortez in a vintage performance. Namajunas won by unanimous decision across five rounds and on Tuesday, the two-time strawweight champ landed the #5 spot in the official rankings.
Namajunas would call for a title shot following the victory – a chance to become a two-weight world champion.
“Give me the belt, man. I want it,” Namajunas said in her post-fight interview. “I’m Colorado’s first UFC champion, so I want to bring the second one back here.”
“Rose Gonna Make It Problematic” For Alexa Grasso
The UFC women’s flyweight championship currently belongs to Alexa Grasso with Namajunas might having to wait a while for the title shot as “Bullet” Valentina Shevchenko will likely fight Grasso next, if not top contender Manon Fiorot, who holds a win over “Thug” Rose from her flyweight debut last year.
However, if it so happens that Grasso and Namajunas meet each other in the championship setting, Henry Cejudo believes Namajunas will pose some problems to the defending champion.
“I applaud thug Rose,” Cejudo said on ‘Pound 4 Pound‘ Podcast after picking Tracy Cortez to win. “I think Rose is, if she’s able to fight like that against a girl like Alexa Grasso, man… her chances of winning go high, because Alexa Grasso is just known for striking. And if you take her down, it’s jiu-jitsu. But with Rose, it’s different. With Rose, she’s mixing everything. And that’s what makes her problematic, her movement.
“So, if a girl like Alexa Grasso fights somebody like Rose, Rose gonna make it problematic for her, too. Even on the striking department.”
Mexico’s Grasso has had issues with grapplers in the past, losing to the likes of Tatiana Suarez and Carla Esparza before. But, Grasso has made strides to her game to hang with some of the best in the world and none more accomplished or well-rounded at women’s flyweight than rival Valentina Shevchenko which Grasso has a submission win over. Shevchenko did much better in their title rematch at Noche UFC last September, but it wasn’t enough to take back the title as the fight was declared a split draw.
Rose Namajunas did mix her striking and level changes very well against Tracy Cortez leaving us to wonder if her style is indeed “problematic” for Alexa Grasso as Henry Cejudo says.
