EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – Assuming it doesn’t fall through between now and Saturday, former UFC champion Rose Namajunas will log three fights in a calendar year for just the second time in her career, and this final one of 2024 presents a big opportunity.
Namajunas, former strawweight title holder, takes on Erin Blanchfield in a pivotal matchup of top-five ranked women’s flyweights. The bout serves as the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 246 at Rogers Place (ESPN+).
Ever since moving up in September 2023, Namajunas’ sole intention has been to claim a second division title. Manon Fiorot, who beat Namajunas in her 125-pound debut, figures to be next for champion Valentina Shevchenko, but nothing is official. And Namajunas aims to make her case while she still can.
“Anything’s possible and, yeah, that’s my intentions, to really put on a good performance, enough to where there’s no doubt that I could be next,” Namajunas told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 246 media day. “I just kind of feel as if Manon deserves it next anyway, regardless of what I do. She technically has a (win) over me. I do feel like, if that was a five-round fight, I think I could’ve found a way to win. I was finding it toward the end, but it is what it is.
“If she wins the belt, then that would be great to fight her again or even have that dream matchup with Valentina one day. I’d be excited to see them fight, but if the UFC wanted to put me ahead of that with a very spectacular performance, I’d be open to that, as well.”
Although Blanchfield, 25, is coming off her own lopsided loss to Fiorot, Namajunas, 32, is expecting a stern test – one she’s studied for.
“With her, what’s kind of unique is that she kind of has a sort of cycle that she puts people through,” said Namajunas, who’s won back-to-back fights against Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez. “If she can somehow get to her little cycle, she just finds her zone and is very comfortable in that, and people are very uncomfortable in that. What’s good about my preparation and everything like that is I’ve done a lot of work on preparing that cycle from even happening. And even if something does get started at some point, I’m very confident in my ability to adapt and to survive or, you know, get back to a good place. We studied her a lot.”
She continued, “She controls her emotions very well. She’s very stoic, I guess, and that’s kind of what everybody observes about her. But I know she’s gonna feel something when I’m in there with her.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.
