‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas says she began game-planning for Zhang Weili fight in hospital after UFC 251
- Namajunas reveals she turned attention to clash with strawweight champ just an hour after edging war against Jessica Andrade on Fight Island
- Former champ says ‘we came up with a little stuff’ in Abu Dhabi hospital – ‘we know Weili doesn’t sleep’
Rose Namajunas started preparing for a title shot against strawweight champion Zhang Weili in hospital, just an hour after her UFC 251 war against Jessica Andrade on Fight Island last weekend.
“Yeah, we came up with a little stuff,” Namajunas said, in an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. “I also know she’s hitting sets right now, too. I know she [Zhang] doesn’t sleep.”
The American “Thug” (10-4) got a split decision against fellow former champ Andrade (20-8) in a barnburner of a rematch. The Brazilian had taken the 28-year-old Namajunas’ title last May at UFC 237, via second-round slam TKO, but lost the belt in her first defence to Chinese phenom Zhang (21-1) in just 42 seconds in Shenzhen.
“We know Weili’s never taken a day off,” said Namajunas’ coach and fiancée, Pat Barry. “She’s training right now. She watched that fight. We don’t know what’s next, but that seems like what’s next. We started game-planning for that in hospital an hour after the fight.”
Namajunas has been open about her admiration for Zhang, who made her first defence in a five-round war for the ages against former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 in March in Las Vegas.