“Thug” Rose Namajunas shocked the mixed martial arts world tonight with a sensational victory at UFC 217: “Bisping vs St. Pierre” in New York City, New York. Namajunas stopped previously unbeaten titleholder Joanna Jędrzejczyk to become the new UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.
While some had predicted that Namajunas’s best success would come on the ground, it was instead her striking skills and underrated power that propelled her to a quick and dominant win over Jędrzejczyk, who had done her best to antagonise Namajunas with trash talk leading up to the bout.
Former UFC title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz held on to her top-five spot in the women’s strawweight rankings with a dominant decision victory at UFC Fight Night 118 in Gdańsk, Poland. The Polish star easily defeated former Invicta FC contender Jodie Esquibel in the night’s co-main event.
Overcoming a rib injury, Emily Whitmire posted a quick submission victory during tonight’s eighth episode of The Ultimate Fighter 26: “A New World Champion.” Team Gaethje’s Whitmire concluded the elimination round by finishing Team Alvarez’s Christina Marks with a first-round armbar.