125 Rose ain’t it, chief | E290 | UFC Vegas 89: Rose Namajunas vs. Amanda Ribas recap

Rose Namajunas notched a win over Amanda Ribas in the main event of UFC Vegas 89 last night. With a win at 125, “Thug” Rose is looking for her way to a title shot in her second division.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:10 Rose Namajunas isn’t the same at 125
6:37 Amanda Ribas fought well
11:55 Edmen Shahbazyan REALLY wants to grapple
14:57 Youssef Zalal returns!
19:14 We biting now?

Rose Namajunas is trying to find new life in her new weight class of 125. After going two time champion at 115, she believes women’s flyweight is her new home. I’m not so sure. After her loss to Manon Fiorot in her debut I question has time passed Rose Namajunas by? She’s only 31 but it looks as if she’s slower and relies on her tactics instead of speed. Regardless, Rose Namajunas looked acceptable against Amanda Ribas, a fight which she should have won and did so.

Amanda Ribas, on the other hand, over performed by my own estimation. She wasn’t supposed to look as good as she did but has shown some improvements. That said, her game is too shallow for a fighter like Rose Namajunas, who has a deep tool kit. Amanda Ribas is ranked in two divisions and, being the tweener she is, will keep doing so. This loss to Rose Namajunas was just another bump in the road for Amanda Ribas.

Edmen Shahbazyan and his weird rib cage returned with another win at UFC Vegas 89. He beat AJ Dobson and got hurt in the process. That said, Edmen Shahbazyan really showed that he’s been working on his grappling and really went after that rear naked choke. In the end, he got the finish via submission and all is well. Edmen Shahbazyan doesn’t need to rush his career at only 26. A couple years of these types of fights will do him good.

After he was cut from the UFC, I questioned why they had done so to Youssef Zalal. He’s a great fighter with great hands, the exact type of fighter the UFC enjoys. But after an 0-3-1 run, including a loss to Ilia Topuria, Zalal was cut. Now he’s back after just over a year and a half gone. He choked out Billy Quarantillo to show us that he’s improved in his time away. I think Youssef Zalal has a bright future ahead of him in the UFC’s featherweight division.

Lastly, we will bust out the ole Jaws theme and talk about Igor Severino biting Andre Lima and getting subsequently disqualified and cut from the UFC. GOOD! There’s no place for that blatant type of cheating in the sport.