Rose Namajunas: "I'm on a whole 'nother level"
Rose Namajunas: "I'm on a whole 'nother level"
There will be some big stakes on the lines this weekend when Rose Namajunas faces Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201.It's widely believed that if Namajunas de
There will be some big stakes on the lines this weekend when Rose Namajunas faces Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201.
It's widely believed that if Namajunas defeats Kowalkiewicz, she will be the one to next face the current champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk later this year for the UFC strawweight title. While these consequences have never been made official, even the Polish champion thinks this is how things will pan out should Namajunas beat her fellow countrywoman.
"I don't know exactly who will be my next opponent," Jędrzejczyk said last weekend. "It might be Rose Namajunas but we will see, first of all, she must win against Karolina."
Should Namajunas pick up the win and get a shot at the title, this will be her second shot at the gold having previously fought Caral Esparaza at The Ultimate Fighter 20 finale in the division's inaugural title fight.
After suffering the heartbreak of losing that fight, Namajunas totally revamped her game and has since come back on a three-fight winning streak.
"Ever since we lost to Carla we just totally threw everything out the window," Namajunas said. "We started from scratch and with the basics. All the fancy things come out naturally for me especially when I feel comfortable and when I've established my range and control. You will see the evolution of the sport with me and my coaches. I know that I possess something very specia. I feel like I'm still growing and still learning so much."
Speaking about her fight with Kowalkiewicz this weekend, Namajunas is expecting the fight will only go only one way and that she will be the woman to go on and face the current champion later this year.
"I was very excited to find out I was fighting Karolina," Namajunas said. "She likes to throw the kitchen sink and she likes to hurt you. That's exciting. I don't think she [Kowalkiewicz] will be ready for me. I'm just on a whole other level right now."
"She [Jędrzejczyk] is the ultimate challenge. Given that I know she's going to be in there by the time I get there, she's the one who I have to prepare myself for. I'm going into this fight with everything."
It's widely believed that if Namajunas defeats Kowalkiewicz, she will be the one to next face the current champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk later this year for the UFC strawweight title. While these consequences have never been made official, even the Polish champion thinks this is how things will pan out should Namajunas beat her fellow countrywoman.
"I don't know exactly who will be my next opponent," Jędrzejczyk said last weekend. "It might be Rose Namajunas but we will see, first of all, she must win against Karolina."
Should Namajunas pick up the win and get a shot at the title, this will be her second shot at the gold having previously fought Caral Esparaza at The Ultimate Fighter 20 finale in the division's inaugural title fight.
After suffering the heartbreak of losing that fight, Namajunas totally revamped her game and has since come back on a three-fight winning streak.
"Ever since we lost to Carla we just totally threw everything out the window," Namajunas said. "We started from scratch and with the basics. All the fancy things come out naturally for me especially when I feel comfortable and when I've established my range and control. You will see the evolution of the sport with me and my coaches. I know that I possess something very specia. I feel like I'm still growing and still learning so much."
Speaking about her fight with Kowalkiewicz this weekend, Namajunas is expecting the fight will only go only one way and that she will be the woman to go on and face the current champion later this year.
"I was very excited to find out I was fighting Karolina," Namajunas said. "She likes to throw the kitchen sink and she likes to hurt you. That's exciting. I don't think she [Kowalkiewicz] will be ready for me. I'm just on a whole other level right now."
"She [Jędrzejczyk] is the ultimate challenge. Given that I know she's going to be in there by the time I get there, she's the one who I have to prepare myself for. I'm going into this fight with everything."