Rose Namajunas is yet again the UFC strawweight champion as she spectacularly knocked out Weili Zhang to reclaim her throne at UFC 261. The card was an absolute barn-burner with all fights of the main card getting finished. ‘Thug’ Namajunas handed ‘Magnum’ Zhang only the second loss of her career.
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‘Thug’ Rose caught ‘Magnum’ with a beautiful left high kick in the second minute of the first round. She registered the knockdown and finished by ground and pound. Zhang was devastated to go out like that and will look to bounce back better than ever after the loss.
It was a picture-perfect performance from the new champion. A pro-Namajunas crowd was overwhelmed to see her reclaim her position as the top strawweight on the planet yet again. Twitter erupted following the Colorado native’s win.
Twitter reacts to Rose Namajunas’s incredible knockout
Gina Carano reacted to Rose’s win.
Thug Rose. 🌹 @rosenamajunas 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/vu5lEVNfvw
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) April 25, 2021
‘The Count’, Michael Bisping lauded all three champions after tonight’s event in Jacksonville, Florida.
Sensational from all 3 champs tonight. @USMAN84kg @rosenamajunas @BulletValentina
— michael (@bisping) April 25, 2021
Namajunas’s high kick was obviously a thing of genuine beauty. In fact, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry claimed it was the greatest thing he had seen in his life.
That was the greatest thing I ever seen in my life @rosenamajunas
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) April 25, 2021
Ariel Helwani pointed out that Trevor Wittman has now guided both Usman and Namajunas in their championship quests.
Trevor Wittman leads Rose Namajunas and Kamaru Usman to two spectacular wins. What a run he’s on as coach.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 25, 2021
Famous boxing coach, Teddy Atlas, was in awe of Namajunas’s outstanding high kick.
I’ve seen great left hooks, and now a great left foot. Bang. @rosenamajunas #UFC261
— Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal) April 25, 2021
Dominick Cruz was as always on point with his detailed insight of Namajunas’s kick. He broke down the trick ‘Thug’ used to conceal her attack from Zhang.
🌹landed left high kick was hidden behind her Jab and her head movement with no telegraph. Flawless victory! #UFC261 #mma #espnplus #RoseNamajunas @espnmma @ufc
— Dominick Cruz (@DominickCruz) April 25, 2021
Nina Ansaroff was all praise for Namajunas.
Wow. Amazing! Congrats @rosenamajunas
— Nina Ansaroff (@NinaAnsaroff) April 25, 2021
Amanda Nunes showered her appreciation on Rose.
Thug Rose #ufc261 @rosenamajunas 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
— Amanda Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) April 25, 2021
Joanna Jedrzejczyk knows firsthand what it’s like to fight Namajunas. She tweeted out after Rose’s showcase win.
#thugrose #ufc261 @ufc WHAT A KO☄️
— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) April 25, 2021
At UFC 261, Namajunas proved her mettle as a fighter yet again. Zhang is a nightmare match-up for anybody. But even she had no answer for Namajunas’s wizardry. From the setup to the kick and to its execution, everything was picturesque.
Now, it remains to be seen who is next for Namajunas. Meanwhile, Zhang will look to get back on the horse as soon as possible and work her way back up as she may not get an immediate rematch because of the manner in which she surrendered the belt.
What was your reaction to ‘Thug Rose’ reclaiming her throne? Let us know.