Rosa Namajunas Properly integrated into the women’s flyweight division in March, when she recorded her first win at the weight class against Amanda Ribas at UFC on ESPN 53.
Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC), who returns to action Saturday at UFC on ESPN 59 Headlining Tracy Cortez (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at the Ball Arena in Denver (ESPN, ESPN+), is a former strawweight champion looking for a fresh start in a new division. She lost her debut to Manon Fiorot in September, but later bounced back against Ribas via unanimous decision in a hard-fought contest.
“Thug Rose” managed to effectively navigate the striking and grappling with Ribas over the course of five rounds to raise her hand, and now she will seek a similar result against Cortez and take one step closer to adding the women’s flyweight belt to her mantel. alongside strawweight gold.
Before Namajunas takes on Cortez this weekend, relive his performance against Ribas with the full UFC on ESPN 53 fight video above.
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 59.