The rematch between the two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili is set and odds have been released.
The two strawweights will meet on Nov. 6 as part of the huge UFC 268 pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Some of the more notable oddsmakers have opening action at a dead-heat with the line at -115 odds for Namajunas and China’s Weili respectively. The first time the two locked horns was back at UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2 where “Thug” Rose made history by becoming the first woman to recapture a title she previously lost in the UFC.
UFC 261 was the first event with a sold-out crowd since the worldwide pandemic shuttered much of the world’s activities. Before the two met in the middle, the champion Weili offered a glove touch, but “Thug” Rose declined it. All while whispering “I’m the best” to herself before the first round bell could sound. Leaving the world in a state of shock, Namajunas dropped Weili with a head kick one minute and eighteen seconds into the opening round and won the title she had sought since losing it.
Namajunas dropped her belt to Jéssica Andrade via slam TKO back in May of 2019. Following the defeat, determined to right the wrong, Namajunas rematched Andrade. The fight was full of action with Namajunas mostly piecing up “Bate Estaca” for the first two rounds until she ran into a heavy shot later into the fight. Despite the damage to her eye, Namajunas showed that history will not repeat itself on her watch. In the eleven years of competition, Namajunas has yet to lose a rematch.
Some are bewildered by the odds considering “Thug” Rose made short work of the hard-hitting “Magnum” in their first encounter. Surely, as the fight draws closer, the odds may sway in one direction or the other.
Who do you favour in the rematch between Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili?
