5 UFC fighters who could dethrone Rose Namajunas

UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas [Image courtesy of @ufc on Twitter]

Rose Namajunas has emerged as one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster in recent years.

Namajunas sits atop the 115 lbs weight class and is primed to become a long-reigning UFC champion. However, there is a litany of top talent on the rise in the division and she has her work cut out for her if she is to continue defending her belt.

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Namajunas has already beaten some of the best fighters in the division, having secured victories over the likes of former champions Zhang Weili and Joanna Jędrzejczyk.

That said, here are five UFC fighters who could potentially dethrone the reigning UFC strawweight champion.

#5. Luana Pinheiro – Identical skillset to Rose Namajunas

Luana Pinheiro joined the UFC in 2020. Pinheiro has a similar skillset to the reigning champion of the women’s strawweight division, Rose Namajunas.

Both fighters are excellent strikers with elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Namajunas and Pinheiro have had analogous careers so far, purely in terms of their in-cage performances. Both strawweights started as submission specialists before eventually developing kickboxing skills. Pinheiro is arguably a superior grappler to the reigning queen at 115 lbs.

Pinheiro owns a professional record of 10-1, including two wins by way of KO/TKO and five by submission. Out of her 10 victories, seven were first-round finishes. She plied her trade in the Brave CF promotion between 2018 and 2020 before getting the call from the UFC.

The 28-year-old broke onto the scene with a stunning appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series. She secured a scintillating TKO victory over Stephanie Frausto to earn a contract with the UFC.

Since joining the promotion, Pinheiro has gone 2-0 in the strawweight division. Following her most recent victory over Sam Hughes at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate, she broke into the rankings at 115 lbs. This well-rounded Brazilian could end up being the one to dethrone the champion of her division.