‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas got her first win at flyweight on Saturday night, besting top-ten-ranked contender Amanda Ribas in an entertaining back-and-forth scrap at UFC Vegas 89.
Namajunas, who lost her debut at 125 pounds to Manon Fiorot, looked sharp throughout the 25-minute encounter with the Brazilian beauty. Ribas, in her UFC debut main event, was undoubtedly a strong competitor. However her constant reliance upon spinning attacks made it easy for Namajunas sit outside the ring and use speed to enter and exit quickly.
The biggest difference-maker on the night was Namajunas’ control time which eclipsed more than six minutes through the five-round bout.
Official Result: Rose Namajunas def. Amanda Ribas via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
With the win, Namajunas should find herself ranked in the flyweight division’s top 10 come Monday morning. Overall, Namajunas improved to 9-5 within the Octagon and 11-6 overall. As for what comes next, the former two-time strawweight champion will have an eye on next week’s clash between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot in Atlantic City.
Check out the highlights from Rose Namajunas and Amanda Ribas’s UFC Vegas fight:
