This is the UFC 324 live blog of Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas, Saturday’s main card flyweight bout from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Silva and Namajunas rank among the best boxers in the world, with Silva ranked No. 7 and Namajunas No. 14 on MMA Fighting’s pound-for-pound list.
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For Silva (19-5-1), this is her third straight fight against a former UFC champion after scoring impressive decision wins over Alexa Grasso and Jessica Andrade. The Brazilian is yet to lose in the UFC, compiling a 7-0 Octagon record and currently riding a 13-fight win streak dating back to 2017.
Two-time strawweight champion Namajunas (14-7) was tested after moving up to the 125-pound division. She is 3-2 in her new weight class, with wins over Miranda Maverick, Tracy Cortez and Amanda Ribas and losses to top contenders Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fioro. “Thug Rose” aims to derail Silva’s hype train and book a fight with future UFC Hall of Famer Valentina Shevchenko.
Check out Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas’ UFC 324 live blog below.
Preface
This was originally supposed to be Alexa Grasso vs. Rose Namajunas, but somehow this feels like a more appropriate matchup. “Nati Ace” is viewed by MMA Fighting as a future champion, either against Valentina Shevchenko or as part of a vacant title shot when Shevchenko gets bored and moves up to bantamweight. A win over Namajunas should solidify the title.
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always tell me the odds
On FanDuel, Natalia Silva is the favorite at -330 against the two-time strawweight champion. Namajunas +265, which is great value if you pick “Thug Rose” for this.
first round
Narjunas was already busy there. It doesn’t look like she’s waiting for young Silva to set the tone. Both fighters made numerous maneuvers but were unable to land for more than a minute.
That was Narjunas’ punch. Leg kick from Namajunas, she avoids a counter combination from Silva. Silva lands a kick, but Namajunas pushes her back with her right foot. There is a counter to Silva’s right. Then the counter left. Sloppy kicks from Silva and Namajunas cost her a counter right. Silva had some moves, but she didn’t find an effective scoring angle.
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Silva made a sneak attack from the right, and Najunas was out of danger before the follow-up action. Silva’s counterattack was only one step slower, and Namajunas shot from the right. In the end, there was a physical conflict between the two parties, and neither party was able to do anything. So far, Narjunas has the slight edge.
Najunas, MMA, scored the round 10-9.
second round
Narjunas had the upper hand in the early exchanges. Silva hits a high kick to the body. They kick the ball from a distance but don’t come into contact with anything hard. Looking right from Narjunas. There has been little commitment to some of these attacks. Silva sprints down the right. Namajunas shot briefly to avoid another counterattack by Silva.
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Silva blocks a takedown attempt and Najunas slams her into the fence. Midway through the round, Silva still had more to do. She has to work for it, and Narjunas is going to have a big hit. Less than two minutes into the round, Silva is in trouble unless she can make a difference here.
