UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas issued a statement following her head kick KO win over Weili Zhang at UFC 261.
Namajunas entered the UFC 261 co-main event as a considerable betting underdog, but she showed that the odds were wrong and she was being overlooked with a brutal head kick KO just over a minute into the fight. For Namajunas, it was a successful opportunity to win back the women’s 115lbs belt that she lost to Jessica Andrade in Brazil two years ago by taking out Zhang and snapping her 20-fight win streak. It was an incredible upset on a night that saw a number of underdogs walk away with the win in Jacksonville, Florida.
The day after UFC 261, Namajunas took to her social media to issue a statement following her knockout win over Zhang. Check out what “Thug” wrote on her Instagram below.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6
With the win over Zhang, Namajunas now sets herself up for a number of potential fights at 115lbs. A trilogy fight against former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk could make sense, as could the winner of the upcoming bout between Carla Esparza and Yan Xiaonan. Don’t forget about Tatiana Suarez, either, and Mackenzie Dern is quickly climbing the ranks.
In addition to those fights at 115lbs, Namajunas could also potentially move up to 125lbs and fight UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. The UFC likely had planned for Zhang to fight Shevchenko had both women won, but when Namajunas pulled off the upset, it seems to make sense that Namajunas could be next in line to fight for the belt at 125lbs, especially since there are no clear-cut contenders for the title right now.
What do you think is next for Rose Namajunas after knocking out Weili Zhang at UFC 261?