Team Rose Namajunas responds to Andrade vs. Zhang fight

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas hopes to get a rematch with current champion Jessica Andrade, but she’s first looking to take some time off to recover from a neck injury. Following the news that Andrade will face Weili Zhang at UFC China in late August, Namajunas’ manager Brian Butler released a statement to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Reached out to Rose Namajunas’ (@rosenamajunas) manager Brian Butler (@BrianButler_Au) for their reaction to the Andrade/Zhang title fight. Here’s what Brian told me. pic.twitter.com/cNFjNInAgd

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 11, 2019

“Rose was definitely interested in the rematch however right now she is taking time to heal up. She had a neck injury before her last fight and now is just gong to take the time to take care of herself and get back to 100%. Her plan is to fight sometime by the end of this year. When Rose decides to come back she will come back better than ever.”

It’s also worth mentioning that Butler also represents Weili Zhang. He told ESPN that Rose Namajunas wasn’t being seriously considered due to the timetable of both the UFC and Jessica Andrade.

Note: Butler also manages Zhang. He told me Rose was not in serious consideration for a rematch, given the timeframe UFC wanted Andrade to defend and Rose's injury.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 11, 2019

Rose Namajunas lost the title to Jessica Andrade back at UFC 237 by way of second-round knockout, and following the fight she spoke to the media and sounded uncertain about her future in fighting, but the update from her manager sounds like she’s now focused on returning to the UFC Octagon.

With Weili Zhang being targeted as the first title defense for Jessica Andrade, that leaves three top contenders, Michelle Waterson, Tatiana Suarez, and Namajunas waiting for the next title fight, and sets up an interesting dynamic when they all return to action.

Before losing her title to Jessica Andrade, Rose Namajunas was on a three-fight winning streak including back-to-back wins over former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Namajunas is 8-4 in her professional career and has victories over the likes of Waterson, Tecia Torres, Paige VanZant, and the already mentioned Jedrzejczyk.

Who would you like to see Rose Namajunas face when she returns to action?

on 6/11/2019