via @RoseNamajunas
Rose Namajunas convinced she beat Carla Esparza at UFC 274: “I thought I won”
Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas was convinced she beat Carla Esparza at UFC 274, saying that “I thought I won.”
In the co-main event of UFC 274, Namajunas and Esparza put on an absolute stinker of a fight as the two went the full 25 minutes without engaging much at all. The crowd in the arena booed and fans on social media panned the fight due to its lack of action. Because nothing really happened in the fight, it was a total coin flip on the judges’ scorecards. Ultimately, it was Esparza who earned the judges’ decision, with scorecards of 49-46 Esparza, 48-47 Namajunas, and 48-47 Esparza giving her the win. Esparza is now the UFC women’s strawweight champion for the second time in her UFC career.
Although neither fighter could have been confident in getting their hand raised following five rounds of non-action, Namajunas was convinced she had won the fight. Speaking to the media following UFC 274, Namajunas admitted that she thought she was going to get her hand raised. In her eyes, she did more damage and controlled more of the Octagon, and she believes it should have earned her the W.
“I stuck to the strategy,” Namajunas said (via MMAjunkie.com). “I felt as if I landed more shots. I even took her down. None of her takedowns were significant or with any control time. I’d say she hit me with one good punch. I felt like I did the damage. I controlled the fight. I’m proud of myself because I stuck to my strategy. I know that in all of Carla’s fights she just baits people in, and she tries to get people to attack her. I’ve been in slugfests before. I’ve gotten my nose broken. I’ve stood there and shed blood in the octagon. I stuck to the strategy, and she didn’t really have any offense. She was whiffing at air the whole time. So, I thought I won.”
Do you agree with Rose Namajunas that she deserved to win the judges’ decision at UFC 274?
