Rose Namajunas knows exactly what she wants after UFC Denver.
UFC Rankings Report: Rose Namajunas Back in Title Contention
It’s now back-to-back wins for the two-time UFC Strawweight Champion, who turned in a vintage performance against rising contender Tracy Cortez in Denver, Colorado just a week ago. Namajunas outworked Cortez across five rounds, snapping her 11-fight win streak with a unanimous decision verdict from the judges.
There are a lot of options for the newly-minted Top 5 contender with none bigger than fighting for the women’s flyweight title, which the “forward thinking” Namajunas made light of in her post-fight interviews.
Current champion Alexa Grasso is targeted to return at Noche UFC on Sep. 14 and her challenger will likely be Valentina Shevchenko, if not Manon Fiorot, the woman who beat Namajunas in her flyweight debut.
Knowing she’ll more than likely have to fight again to fit right into the title picture, Namajunas has called for her next fight to be against a higher-ranked contender.
“I know I said a bunch of different things, but now what’s sort of making sense in my mind is Erin Blanchfield,” Namajunas said on Bruce Buffer’s YouTube Channel. “And if there’s Madison Square Garden in November, I would love that.”
UFC 309 is rumored to take place on Nov. 9 at Madison Square Garden, with Jon Jones also wanting to fight on that card against Stipe Miocic like they were supposed to at UFC 295.
The Garden was where “Thug” Rose first touched UFC gold, winning the strawweight title with a TKO of Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217.
The 25-year-old Erin Blanchfield is currently ranked at #3 in the women’s flyweight division, right behind Fiorot and Shevchenko.
Once 6-0 in the UFC, Blanchfield was on the cusp of a title shot herself but lost in her first UFC main event spot against Fiorot in April.
“Cold Blooded” has beaten the likes of Molly McCann, former champ Jessica Andrade and Taila Santos to emerge as a top contender.
Is Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas the next fight to make?
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