Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is leaving no stone unturned in her preparation for a vital UFC 324 flyweight bout in opposition to placing dynamo Natalia Silva. With a possible title shot in opposition to Valentina Shevchenko on the road, ‘Thug Rose’ has radically upgraded her camp, enlisting 2024 Olympic taekwondo bronze medallist Kristina Teachout to sharpen her stand-up arsenal.
The high-stakes matchup, set for January twenty fourth, took on new significance after the unique opponent, Alexa Grasso, withdrew on account of harm. Now dealing with the undefeated Silva—a fighter famend for her exact, taekwondo-based placing—Namajunas is present process a specialised coaching camp with an Olympic fighter to bridge any technical gaps. “Bringing in Kristina is about including new layers to my recreation,” Namajunas said. “We’re specializing in kicks, motion, and reactions you possibly can solely study from that degree of competitors.”
This struggle represents an important second in Namajunas’s flyweight division transition. A decisive victory might catapult the two-time strawweight queen right into a long-awaited championship alternative in opposition to the dominant Shevchenko. “Valentina is the GOAT for a motive,” Namajunas acknowledged. “However to earn that probability, I’ve to get by a really harmful, undefeated fighter first. That’s my whole focus.”
The occasion itself marks a significant milestone as the primary UFC on Paramount+ underneath a brand new multi-billion greenback broadcast deal, including promotional weight to Namajunas’s quest. A standout efficiency from the favored star can be a significant coup for the debut, intensifying the demand for a future Namajunas vs Shevchenko title struggle.
The Silva Problem: A Placing Chess Match
In Natalia Silva, Rose Namajunas faces one of many division’s most original and dangerous exams. Silva’s flawless UFC report is constructed on a basis of unorthodox, long-range kicking assaults tailored from her taekwondo roots. This placing specialist Natalia Silva presents a stark stylistic distinction to the boxer-grappler combine Namajunas has historically confronted.
Namajunas’s partnership with Teachout is a direct counter to this risk. The collaboration goals to deconstruct Silva’s timing and footwork whereas injecting new, unpredictable kicking strategies into Namajunas’s personal offence. This strategic preparation for Natalia Silva underscores Namajunas’s evolution from a pure martial artist into a classy struggle strategist, conscious {that a} one-dimensional strategy received’t suffice at flyweight’s elite degree.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions: Namajunas at UFC 324
Why did Rose Namajunas change her coaching for UFC 324?
After Alexa Grasso’s harm, Rose Namajunas now faces the elite placing of Natalia Silva. She introduced in Olympic bronze medallist Kristina Teachout particularly to raise her kick defence and offensive versatility for this distinctive problem.
What’s at stake for Rose Namajunas in opposition to Natalia Silva?
A win at UFC 324 is extensively seen as the ultimate step to safe a flyweight title shot in opposition to champion Valentina Shevchenko, making this crucial struggle of Namajunas’s transfer to 125lbs.
How will an Olympic taekwondo fighter assist Namajunas?
Kristina Teachout gives world-class perception into the timing, distance administration, and technical kicking recreation that defines Silva’s type, providing an important strategic benefit within the Namajunas coaching camp.
When is UFC 324 and the place can I watch it?
UFC 324 takes place on January twenty fourth. It’s the inaugural UFC occasion on Paramount+ within the UK, marking the beginning of the promotion’s new broadcast partnership.
Who’s Rose Namajunas’s final aim within the flyweight division?
Namajunas has constantly said her aim is to problem flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko, whom she considers the best ladies’s MMA fighter of all time.
