Champ Rose Namajunas expects Joanna Jedrzejczyk rematch, says mind games won't work again

ST. LOUIS – UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is looking to return to the octagon for her first title defense sometime between April and July. And in her mind, a rematch with Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the most probable matchup.

Namajunas (7-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) pulled off 2017’s “Upset of the Year” when she dethroned previously unbeaten champion Jedrzejczyk (14-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) with a first-round knockout at UFC 217 in November. A rematch has seemed like the most logical option, but that direction hasn’t been confirmed by the UFC brass.

Speaking with MMAjunkie at Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 124 event in St. Louis, Namajunas revealed she has some travel booked for the coming months. She’ll be ready to jump back into camp once that’s complete, and although she would be willing to move in another direction, she believes running it back with Jedrzejczyk is what fans desire most.

“(It makes sense) for a different number of reasons,” Namajunas told MMAjunkie. “I think that’s definitely the fight that most people want to see, but I’m always open to fighting anyone. We’ll see.”

Prior to the first matchup at UFC 217, there was a lot of tension between the 115-pound title-fight competitors. Most of that came from Jedrzejczyk’s side, as she tried to intimidate her challenger Namajunas at every possible turn.

Ultimately Namajunas was able to deflect everything her Polish foe threw her way, and that included in the fight. She stormed through Jedrzejczyk with multiple knockdowns and finished the fight in the opening frame. She said any similar tactics from Jedrzejczyk ahead of a potential rematch would fail, as well.

“I never really took anything personal, even after the fact,” Namajunas said. “That’s just what she had to do. That was her best strategy to beat me, but it didn’t work, and it’s still not going to work.”

At 25, Namajunas currently is the youngest in the UFC’s crop of champions. She continues to make strides between every fight, and said she expects that progress to continue as she adjusts her mindset to defend the belt for what she hopes is a long time to come.

“I’ve definitely been continuing my mental growth and trying to map out what the next year is going to look like for me,” Namajunas said. “It’s been a transition period, basically.”

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