Michelle Waterson is a fan of Rose Namajunas; unfortunately 'like the Highlander, there can be only one'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Not only does Michelle Waterson have no animosity toward Rose Namajunas, she’s actually quite fond of her.

But that, Waterson (14-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) clarified today following her UFC on FOX 24 open workout, doesn’t mean she’ll have any problems bringing the fight to Namajunas (5-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) when it’s time for Saturday’s co-headlining scrap.

After all, beating up people she likes is kind of routine.

“She’s probably my favorite strawweight fighter on the roster,” Waterson said of Namajunas ahead of Saturday’s FOX-televised strawweight scrap at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. “I like her lifestyle. I like the way she represents herself. Her background is very similar to mine. Unfortunately, it’s like the ‘Highlander,’ there can be only one.”

“(It’s not harder fighting her) because I like all my teammates, and we scrap every day.”

Other than Namajunas’ presence outside of the cage, Waterson is also aware of her strengths inside of it. A finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter 20,” Namajunas recovered nicely from the finale loss to ex-champ Carla Esparza, going on a three-fight streak that included rear-naked-choke submissions of former Invicta FC champ Angela Hill and then-on-a-roll prospect Paige VanZant.

Namajunas, however, saw her momentum snapped in her most recent outing, when a split decision to Karolina Kowalkiewicz cost her what would have likely meant a chance to fight for the 115-pound title. Kowalkiewicz got the shot, instead, and dropped a unanimous call to undefeated champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 205.

“It was a little bump in the road,” Waterson said. “She lost a split decision, and then Karolina went off to fight for the belt, and she did a great job fighting against Joanna for the title.

“To me, I love a challenge, because it makes me rise to the occasion. It forces me to get better, and that’s what Rose is presenting.”

Ranked No. 15 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA strawweight rankings, Waterson is also fond of the rear-naked choke, coming in on the heels of back-to-back wins in that manner, over Angela Magana and VanZant.

And while “The Karate Hottie” strays away from that type of pressure, Waterson knows a win over No. 7 Namajunas may end up making her a candidate to face the victor of UFC 211’s title matchup between Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Andrade.

“I definitely think it’s the fight that can earn me the title shot,” Waterson said on a previous occasion. “That’s not the pressure I’m trying to put on the fight. I’m trying to go in there and be the fighter I know I can be and be the fighter I am every day in the gym.”

Meanwhile, Waterson said she celebrates the “amazing” moment she’s enjoying leading up to Saturday’s high-stakes affair – made better by the presence of her 6-year-old daughter Araya, also a big star of Waterson’s workout.

“These are all once-in-a-lifetime chances,” Waterson said. “So there’s no point in me not including (Araya). She’s a huge part of my camp, a huge part of my life.”

To hear more from Waterson, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC on FOX 24, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.