UFC 324 featured a potential title eliminator in the women’s flyweight division. Former strawweight champion “Thug” Rose Namajunas (14-8) took on top contender Natalia Silva (20-5-1).
Silva took the fight on relatively short notice as Namajunas was originally supposed to face former flyweight champion Alexa Grasso on Saturday night. However, both Namajunas and Silva were down for this fight and it turned out to be incredibly close.
In the first two rounds, these two were pretty even. However, it felt like Namajunas did a better job of landing her shots and she mixed in a couple of takedowns. The first round was really close whereas the second round felt like a clear round for Namajunas.
I had her up 20-18 entering the third. The third round in my opinion was the most decisive round of the fight. Silva really opened up and showed off her speed and technique throughout the round. You got the feeling that if she did that earlier, she would’ve easily won this fight.
When the final bell sounded at UFC 324, I had Namajunas winning the fight, but I felt like Natalia Silva looked like the better fighter. All three judges ultimately scored the fight for Silva which shocked me and the majority of the media who felt that Namajunas won the first two rounds.
What’s next after UFC 324?
Rose Namajunas moved up to flyweight back in 2023 and because of her history and name recognition, you just felt like she was one big win away from a UFC title shot. However, that big win has yet to come at 125 pounds.
She lost her flyweight debut to Manon Fiorot and then she won two in a row. Back in a title eliminator, she lost a decision to Erin Blanchfield. After winning against Miranda Maverick, she found herself again one win away from a flyweight title shot on Saturday night and she fell short against Natalia Silva.
Again, I thought she won two rounds, but the ultimate decision plays into the narrative that Namajunas is really good at 125 but she struggles against the fighters at the top of the division. In terms of what’s next, I would look at the UFC Seattle matchup featuring Maycee Barber and Alexa Grasso.
Whoever loses that fight would make sense for Namajunas’ next fight.
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