“Thug” Rose Namajunas will be stepping into the octagon at “UFC on FOX 24”, hoping to make a statement when she meets “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson in the co-main event of the evening. This is not the first time Namajunas will be featured in such a prominent spot on a national stage as she has been featured in the co-main event or main event in every single one of her octagon appearances except one.
Namajunas made her way into the Ultimate Fighting Championship after tearing through a handful of other strawweight fighters on “The Ultimate Fighter” to fight for the inaugural strawweight title. Standing across from her in the octagon was Carla Esparza who would ultimately win the bout by way of submission.
“Thug” once again worked her way toward title contention after defeating Angela Hill, Paige VanZant, and Tecia Torres. She met Karolina Kowalkiewicz in the co-main event of “UFC 201” only to fall short again, losing by way of a close split decision.
Now, Namajunas finds herself in a similar position as she enters the octagon to throw down with Waterson. Namajunas wants to prove that she is not just a perennial challenger to the title, but that she has what it takes to strap it around her waist. She is excited to show the world that she can put on highlight-reel finishes, telling FOX Sports:
“This is a perfect opportunity to get a highlight [against Michelle Waterson]. That’s the plan… The vision that I have is to get a title shot this year. Whether that be one fight in between or that be straight into a title shot, it doesn’t matter.”
