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#2. Namajunas knocks out Zhang Weili – UFC 261
Rose Namajunas made a massive statement when she knocked out Zhang Weili to regain the strawweight championship at UFC 261. It was a significant event for the promotion and professional sports as a whole. It was the first event to see the return of a full capacity crowd.
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Fans were vocal throughout and gave a thunderous ovation to Namajunas, while the champion was booed heavily. ‘Thug Rose’ benefited from the crowd’s response as it clearly fazed the champion. The initial few minutes of the fight were a feeling out process as the two circled each other looking for an opening. Namajunas did just that as she landed a perfectly timed head-kick that immediately knocked the champion out.
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Weili protested and felt the stoppage was premature. But after viewing the replay, it was clear that the correct decision was made. They had a rematch this past November which saw ‘Thug Rose’ retain the belt by a split-decision.
#1. Namajunas finishes Joanna Jedrzejczyk – UFC 217
Namajunas’ TKO win against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217 was the biggest moment of her MMA career. During the lead-up to the fight, then-champion Jedrzejczyk was the focal point and rightfully so. A win would’ve tied her with former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey for most women’s title defenses.
‘Thug Rose’ pulled off an upset by finishing the dominant champion in the first-round. She dropped ‘The Boogeywoman’ with a straight-right less than two-minutes into the fight. Jedrzejczyk managed to regroup and get back on her feet, but the end was near. Shortly after, Namajunas dropped her again with a powerful left-hook and unloaded a flurry of ground strikes.
Jedrzejczyk’s title reign and performances in her previous title defenses made the TKO win much more impressive. Despite their rematch being more competitive in 2018, ‘Thug Rose’ still retained gold after earning a unanimous decision win.
