This past weekend at UFC Vegas 89, we saw a big time women’s flyweight matchup in the main event. Former two-time strawweight champion “Thug” Rose Namajunas (12-6) was looking to pickup her first flyweight win over top ten contender Amanda Ribas (12-5).
This fight was very competitive and both ladies had moments throughout the fight. That said, there were a couple of things that stood out in the matchup. On the feet, while Ribas does have solid speed, I expected Namajunas to be much sharper and quicker to the punch than she was on Saturday night.
In the grappling, I figured Ribas would be much stronger, but you could tell that Namajunas could hold her own there. They cancelled each other out a lot in this one. However, throughout the UFC Vegas 89 headliner, it was apparent that Namajunas was just a bit more sharp on the feet and that allowed her to pull away. In the end, she won a pretty lopsided decision win to get on the board at flyweight.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 89?
With this win, you’d have to imagine that Namajunas will get right near the top five at 125 pounds. However, I still have some pause in thinking she’ll be a legit title contender. While she looked solid on Saturday night, I still don’t know if this is the ideal weight class for her. It just seems like she fits better at 115.
Nevertheless, she got a big win and she’ll attempt to climb the ladder. For her next opponent, she talked about being interested in the winner of Erin Blanchfield – Manon Fiorot which headlines UFC Atlantic City this weekend. However, I don’t see that happening especially considering Namajunas just lost to Fiorot. One of those two will get a title shot next.
Namajunas did touch on being interested in Maycee Barber and if you ask me, that’s the fight the UFC should make. Barber has won six in a row and is right near the title picture at 125. Makes all the sense in the world to give Barber a shot at a former champion like Namajunas. Either Barber will be legitimized as a title contender or Namajunas will put herself in line to try and become a champion in a second weight class.