Former UFC strawweight champ Rose Namajunas released a statement about her UFC 274 loss to Carla Esparza, apologizing for the lackluster fight and vowing to come back better.
“Sorry to everyone I f***** up,” Namajunas wrote on Instagram less than 24 hours after a split-call loss to Esparza that marked her second setback against The Ultimate Fighter 20 winner and the end of her second reign as the 115-pound champ. “Definitely feel like a s***** human being but this will make me a better [fighter] hats off to Carla and thanks to everyone who’s been there for me.”
Namajunas was visibly shocked by the scorecards of 49-46 and 48-47 in Esparza’s favor in a fight that produced just 68 attempted strikes total over five rounds. Afterward, she tried to avoid being “salty” about the result while questioning how the new champ did enough to win. Esparza did the same in her post-fight press conference and indicated Namajunas had avoided a fight.
The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for Namajunas that included a pair of wins over Zhang Weili and a win over Jessica Andrade to avenge a knockout loss that ended her first title reign.
The woman Namajunas twice beat to hold the title, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, immediately stepped in to reassure her former rival.
“Don’t be sorry Champ! You don’t have to,” wrote Jedrzejczyk, who’s scheduled to rematch Weili at UFC 275. “It’s a tough business we’re in! Get some rest!!”
Esparza’s next opponent is unclear; UFC President Dana White appeared to rule out an immediate rematch with Namajunas. The new champ’s immediate plans are to walk down the aisle for a wedding she planned in training camp.
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