Paige VanZant dominated by Rose Namajunas, loses via fifth-round submission
LAS VEGAS – After fighting for a UFC title in her very first bout as a finalist on the 20th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Rose Namajunas was pegged as a fighter to watch in the newly formed strawweight division.
Despite a loss to Carla Esparza on Dec. 12, 2014, Namajunas has remained vigilant. She won her next fight against Angela Hill with a first-round submission at UFC 192 in October of this year. And just like that, MMA eyes were back on the 23-year-old prospect.
Tonight, inside the Chelsea Ballroom at The Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip, Namajunas took one step closer to UFC gold with a near flawless performance over 20-year-old media darling Paige VanZant.
"Thug Rose" used a wicked skill-set to pick VanZant apart at every turn. First, Namajunas opened the fight with a scary 1-2 combo, her straight right snapping "12-Gauge's" head back. Soon after, Namajunas would use a body-lock takedown to rip VanZant to the mat, and in the process, set the tone for the remainder of the contest.
Credit to VanZant, she did not go easily.
Round 3 saw a battered and bloodied VanZant in the clutches of a Namajuna's rear-naked choke attempt. With blood pouring down her face, and with her opponent's forearm secured tightly underneath the chin, the end was all but assured for VanZant.
Almost inexplicably, VanZant managed to escape, and the crowd inside the Chelsea roared in what had to be stunned disbelief.
Then, in the fourth round, Namajunas earned a set of armbar attempts, each more vicious than the previous. However, VanZant again managed a wizard-like escape in what was an incredible display of grit.
By the time the final frame began, Namajunas' cumulative damage was too much for VanZant to overcome, and at 2:25 of Round 5, Namajunas submitted VanZant via rear-naked choke.
The choke did not seem nearly as vicious, or tight as the one she fended off in the third round, but this wasn't the third round, and it spelled the end for VanZant.
Post-fight, Namajunas said she wasn't exactly sure what to say.
When asked about VanZant's amazing display of courage, Namajunas explained it was something her camp planned for from the very beginning. "I knew the armbars were gonna be there all day," she said. "From the picture of Paige doing this [raises hands], I saw her arms looked a little gummy, so I felt she could be really flexible. So I told myself not to get discouraged if I didn't get it right away."
The ability to remain poised was a game-changer for Namajunas, who looked completely at ease during every second of their main-event scrap.
"I'm a finisher," she said, "so it's really frustrating to not get it right away. But as the fight went on , I just said, 'You know what I just feel so good right now,' so I kept doing what I'm doing."
With back-to-back wins under her belt, and a challenger to her resume, Namajunas is primed for a run at the title. Before that happens, though, a nice vacation is an order.
"I don't know," she said when asked what's next. "It don't matter to me. I just want to take a little break for a second and let my body heal."
After tonight's five-round battle, it is safe to say she has earned it.
