Former UFC strawweight title challenger “Thug” Rose Namajunas seeks her fourth straight victory when she steps back inside the Octagon on July 30th at UFC 201: “Lawler vs Woodley” in Atlanta, Georgia. Namajunas faces unbeaten standout Karolina Kowalkiewicz in a top contender’s bout.
UFC officials confirmed the matchup on Monday evening following an initial report from ESPN. Namajunas recently avenged a loss by edging out Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres in a rematch at UFC on FOX 19. Kowalkiewicz has posted back-to-back decision victories since signing with the UFC.
Namajunas (5-2-0) earned a shot at the inaugural UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship in late 2014 after advancing to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 20, but she succumbed to a third-round rear-naked choke from Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza at the TUF 20 Finale. She returned to action in October and scored an easy first-round submission win over current Invicta FC champion Angela “Overkill” Hill, then dominated popular prospect “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant in the UFC Fight Night 80 headliner. In April, Namajunas eked out a razor-thin Unanimous Decision win over Torres.
Kowalkiewicz (9-0-0) first rose to fame as KSW women’s champion in her native Poland, but after picking up a big victory over reigning Deep Jewels champion Mizuki Inoue in her lone appearance for Invicta FC, Kowalkiewicz joined the UFC roster this past year and she has impressed in each of her two fights since then. In December, she scored a Unanimous Decision victory over TUF 20 semi-finalist Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos, and Kowalkiewicz most recently rebounded after a slow start against “Hurricane” Heather Clark and dominated rounds two and three at UFC Fight Night 87.
UFC 201: “Lawler vs Woodley” takes place on July 30th at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The event is headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship bout between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley.
(Photo Credit: UFC)