Rose Namajumas vs Jessica Andrade set for UFC 237 on May 11

After a year of being on the sidelines, ‘Thug’ Rose is back!

UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (8-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will enter enemy territory to defend her belt for the second time against #1 ranked contender Jessica Andrade (19-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) at UFC 237 in Brazil.

Namajunas would have to face the hostile nature of Brazilian fans. However she has always thrived under such situations. Namajunas won her title against dominant champion Joanna Jedrzejcyzk at UFC 217 back in November 2017. The ‘Boogeywoman’ got into Namajunas’ face during face-offs to which Namajunas responded by whispering ‘Lord’s prayer’.

Namajunas responded to that by knocking out Jedrzejcyzk clean in the first round. What many thought would be a fluke, Jedrzejcyzk was given an immediate rematch at UFC 223 in April last year. Namajunas, known for her grappling, fought an entire kickboxing fight, defeating Jedrzejcyzk via unanimous decision.

Andrade on the other hand, has been a tear since losing in her last title fight against Jedrzejcyzk at UFC 211 in May 2017. Andrade has been on a three-fight winning streak ever since. Andrade first defeated former two-time title challenger Claudia Gadelha to become only the second fighter to defeat her. Andrade then defeated a surging Tecia Torres in February last year. She then knocked out former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz to earn a second title shot.: