This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Edmonton, we saw a five-round potential title eliminator in the women’s flyweight division. Former strawweight champion “Thug” Rose Namajunas (13-7) was looking for her third straight win at 125 as she took on top contender Erin Blanchfield (13-2).
Back in 2022, Rose Namajunas lost her strawweight title and we weren’t sure whether or not we’d see her back inside the octagon. However, after taking time away, she returned up a weight class to take on Manon Fiorot. She lost that fight, but back-to-back wins led her to this fight against Blanchfield. I actually liked Namajunas in this matchup.
The first two rounds showed why I liked this matchup. Namajunas was much sharper on the feet and Blanchfield was not able to take her down. In fact, Namajunas reversed a takedown and ended up on top during the first two rounds. Had this been a three-round fight, Namajunas would’ve won unanimously.
However, the UFC Edmonton co-main event was five rounds. In the third round, Blanchfield took Namajunas down and she had no answer. In the fourth round, Namajunas looked visibly tired and Blanchfield got the better of the striking. In the fifth, Blanchfield took the fight back down to secure a big come from behind decision win over the former champion.
What’s next after UFC Edmonton?
This is a really tough loss for Namajunas and it really highlighted something that I’ve noticed since she’s moved up to 125. Her cardio is no where near as good as it was when she was at 115. Namajunas looked incredibly sharp through the first two rounds, but she looked completely gassed after that and Blanchfield won the final three rounds.
She really needs to tighten things up cardio wise if she wants to hang with the best at 125. We just saw Valentina Shevchenko put on a five-round clinic against Alexa Grasso. If Namajunas gassed like that against Shevchenko, she might’ve been finished on Saturday night.
So, what’s next for the former champion? I actually like the idea of rebooking the Maycee Barber fight. They were supposed to fight in July before Barber had to pull out. Barber hasn’t fought since March and she needs to get back in there when she’s ready. Namajunas is the perfect opponent for her to come back to.