5 keys to victory for Rose Namajunas

#2. Mix in takedowns of her own

UFC 268: Namajunas taking Zhang down.

The strawweight queen is expected to be at her most dominant if this bout is a striking affair, but she's not a single-faceted fighter. Namajunas has won five of 11 bouts by submission, and she has excellent wrestling chops.

As seen in her rematches against Zhang and Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Namajunas is capable of scoring clutch takedowns. If she can mix in her takedowns and striking, this will open up more opportunities for victory for the champion.

The 29-year-old is a threat anywhere in the octagon, but to optimize her skills, she'll possibly look to be as unpredictable as possible by blending techniques.

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#1. Remain composed

Rose Namajunas with her strawweight title. (photo from @rosenamajunas via Instagram)

"Confidence, conditioning, composure, content - I'm a champion."

This phrase is the mantra that Rose Namajunas follows. These are all words that have become synonymous with Namajunas in the latest portion of her career. 'Thug' Rose will look to live up to all of the aforementioned descriptive words as she competes once more at UFC 274.

History shows that a calm Namajunas is a dangerous contestant. When she first locked horns with Esparza, she appeared to be rushing things. This led to many mistakes, which the champion fixed in time.

Namajunas has an almost super-human ability to perform under pressure. When the fighter from Colorado initially fought for the title, she was a massive underdog and dealt with the harsh words of Jędrzejczyk for weeks. Regardless, Namajunas remained poised to perform to the best of her ability to become the new champion.

A composed Namajunas is one of the most calculated champions in the UFC. The skills are there, the training has honed in on her ability, and all that's left is to perform.