Namajunas takes close decision from Torres in heated rematch
Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres might need another three rounds to settle the score.
Two of the top strawweights in the UFC, Namajunas and Torres went to war in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 19 in Tampa, Fla. The fight was a runback of a 2013 Invicta FC contest that saw Torres come out on top. This time, it was Namajunas who walked away with the unanimous-decision win:
Por decisão unânime dos juízes, num triplo 29-28, Rose Namajunas vence Tecia Torres no co-main event do #UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/LQcILtRyWX
— Daniel Silveira (@danielimortal82) April 17, 2016
The matching 29-28 scores scarcely reflect how narrow the gap was between Namajunas and Torres.
In the first, Namajunas couldn't contain "The Tiny Tornado" in the clinch, which led to her absorbing short punches in close. However, Namajunas snagged a takedown to close out the round, which may have been enough to steal it.
The second round was just as close. "Thug Rose" managed to halt Torres early with a stiff counter-left, but Torres' improved striking was on display as she strung together several combinations that were certain to register with the judges.
With the result up in the air, Namajunas and Torres were surprisingly tentative in the third. That hesitance may have been caused by the mounting leg kicks of Torres or the takedown threat of Namajunas. That threat materialized in the final minute as Namajunas used brute force to earn her second takedown, a key maneuver in a match short on decisive moments.
A third straight win for Namajunas puts her in prime position to face the winner of the upcoming strawweight title fight between champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha.
Torres loses for the first time, after starting her career with seven straight victories.