Rose Namajunas spoke with members of the media while preparing for her UFC 274 fight with Carla Esparza.
UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is preparing to defend her next title against former champion Carla Esparza. This is a rematch of the final season 20 finale of The Ultimate Fighter which saw Esparza crowned as the division’s first champion. Now that the Namajunas are on top, this match could once again be a moment that defines the champion’s legacy. She spoke a little about her thoughts on legacy during UFC 274 Media Day.
https://youtu.be/JLlIohWAbiw
“I used to hate the term legacy or when people talk about it, but I think I have a different perspective on what it really means and it’s a very interesting topic,” she explained. “It definitely adds a little bit of an element of admiration for the motivation and my training and such, wow, like looking at where I’ve come from and looking at all that’s available to me and what’s possible. But really, really, it’s just focusing on the present and focusing on performing My best, then really, it’s like, let’s see what happens when I do my best.”
Namajunas is only focusing on her match with Esparza at this point in time but she still wants to prove herself to the skeptics. She has held the title at 115 pounds on two occasions with two title defenses in total. On the other hand, her predecessor Jędrzejczyk has five title defenses under her belt but hasn’t been able to grab gold again since losing it back in 2017. Namajunas believes she still has some work to do to become the best strawweight champion on the launch.
“If you’re a fan, you’re on a great journey. I think what I see is, obviously I’m the best, and obviously just a question if I’m the greatest team of all time, and I think that’s a huge step towards that for me,” he said. “And this is the big test. I think everyone, when they think of husks, they think of Joanna [Jędrzejczyk] I think it’s probably the most of her, you know, just during her time. It came at a time when the level of competition was nowhere near her. I guess what I’m looking forward to is trying to distinguish myself, because obviously I’m the best, but I guess in the last fight, maybe it was kinda close, and you know what I’m saying? So, I’ve been making an effort just to make sure I can adjust that distance between all of us.”
UFC 274: Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gethje takes place on Saturday, May 7, 2022, live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Follow up with FanSided MMA, located on the site, for all the news and highlights.
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