UFC 237 (see how to watch here) will be topped by a dynamite strawweight title fight, as the champion Rose Namajunas defends her title against fearsome challenger Jessica Andrade. Despite the fact that Namajunas is the reigning, defending champion, she’s been identified as a slight underdog against Andrade.

Speaking to MMA Junkie ahead of UFC 237, Namajunas took a guess as to why she’s currently the betting underdog against her tough Brazilian opponent.

“I think maybe because I wear my heart on my sleeve, I take my emotions and I think maybe some people take that for weakness,” Namajunas said. “Also I’m long and lengthy so maybe some people think I’m not strong or whatever, but it’s also more than that. I am strong, but it’s also being mentally strong, spiritually strong, everything. The whole package.”

While the oddsmakers have pegged Rose Namajunas as the underdog ahead of UFC 237, she can take some comfort in the fact that many of her fellow fighters are picking her to successfully defend her title against Andrade. In the latest edition of BJPenn.com’s Pro Fighter Picks, Jared Cannonier, Ilima-Lei MacFarlane, Diego Ferreira, Cody Stamann and multiple others predicted the champion would successfully retain her belt in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.

Do you think Rose Namajunas should be the betting favorite ahead of her UFC 237 strawweight title fight with Jessica Andrade?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/9/2019.