Well, at least until Rose Namajunas did it in 2021.
Before that, some of the greats of the sport, including Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm and Joanna Jedrzejczyk failed in their attempts to become two-time UFC champions. In fact, Namajunas herself kept Joanna from regaining the strawweight crown, but after that 2018 win that made it 2-0 for “Thug Rose” over the Polish star, it was Namajunas that was placed back in the role of challenger after a stunning loss to Jessica Andrade in May of 2019.
UFC’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY EXPERIENCE | BREAKING BARRIERS
It was going to be a long road back, especially after Andrade soon lost the title to China’s Zhang Weili, but it seemed like titles were never the end goal for Namajunas. It was about the journey, the people she met along the way and the stories she had compiled to look back on when she was 100 years old. It was about being the best.
And after a year away from the Octagon, she got her rematch with Andrade. This one didn’t have a title attached to it, and instead of Brooklyn, New York, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the bout to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, and while traveling during this uncertain time wasn’t ideal – especially after the virus claimed members of her family – she was going to show up, especially after reading a Bible verse that inspired her.
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”
“When I read that, it gave me goosebumps because that’s pretty much what’s going on right now,” Namajunas said at the time. “Everything is opening back up, quarantine is slowing down, and then I got the opportunity to fight on Fight Island, whereas if I waited until Vegas, who knows what’s gonna happen. Maybe that’s when no man can work and when night comes. So I didn’t want to wait. I just figured, f**k it, let’s go to Fight Island.”
UFC’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY EXPERIENCE | BREAKING BARRIERS
On Fight Island, Namajunas got her mojo back, defeating Andrade via split decision in a second Fight of the Night scrap with the Brazilian. Next up was a fight back on U.S. soil against someone who didn’t look like she was going to lose anytime soon in Zhang, who followed up her title-winning blitz of Andrade with an all-time classic win over Jedrzejczyk. Now it was time for Zhang vs “Thug Rose” on April 24, 2021, in Jacksonville, Florida, and in the UFC 261 co-main event, Namajunas was about to make history and prove once again that she was the best.
Just like she told us.
UFC 261 – Zhang vs Namajunas
While being introduced by Bruce Buffer, Rose Namajunas chanted “I’m the best,” to herself, and in 78 seconds, she proved it, as she knocked out Zhang Weili to regain the UFC strawweight title.
After the two fighters moved around the Octagon to get acclimated to the Octagon, Namajunas landed a flush left kick to the head that dropped Zhang hard to the mat. Namjunas went in for the finish and after a couple hammerfists, she got it, with referee Keith Peterson stepping in at 1:18 of round one.
With the win, Namajunas, who first held the 115-pound title from 2017 to 2019, moves to 11-4. Zhang falls to 21-2.
