Rose Namajunas has been eyeing Weili Zhang for a long time now. Even before Rose was successfully able to defeat Jessica Andrade in a rematch at UFC 251. Now that Namajunas has avenged her loss, she’ll look to test herself against the current UFC strawweight champion. Time will tell whether or not the UFC will is interested in making the match for Zhang’s next title defense. However, Namajunas will be ready for Weili regardless of what happens.
On several occasions, Rose has spoken about having the opportunity to fight Zhang. Besides being the current champion, Namajunas is impressed with Weili’s ability to have a match against Joanna and match her skill for skill. Furthermore, she’s stated that Zhang represents true martial artistry and that she is a pure martial artist.
Rose Namajunas Ready for Weili Zhang
Namajunas recently spoke with ESPN MMA with her coach and partner Pat Berry. During the conversation, Berry explained how hard Rose trains. Next, he revealed that Namajunas has already begun training for Zhang.
“We started game-planning for (Zhang) Weili in the hospital in Abu Dhabi,” said Pat. “She’s been training, she’s never taken a day off, never. She’s training right now. She watched (Namajunas’ last) fight.
Next, Rose discussed her big win against Andrade in their rematch. Although Rose suffered a nasty broken nose, she loved her desire to fight once again.
“Loved it (fighting again), yeah. I loved it even more considering the improvement Andrade made. I was happy with the level of prepared I was. Going into the third, I knew she was gonna come out a little desperate, explained Namajunas. “Anticipating that was like, ‘Ooh, gotta be extra sharp.’ Obviously I got caught, but overall I was just so proud of myself.”
Making Namajunas vs Zhang
Hopefully, Namajunas gets the matchup that she wants in Zhang. After all, Weili has expressed interest in fighting Rose as well. Both fighters respect each other, as well as the art form of martial arts. Whenever they step toe to toe in the octagon, the matchup will be fireworks.
