"She is poetry in motion" - Michael Bisping predicts outcome of grudge match between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza
In a recent video, Michael Bisping broke down the rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza and shared his opinion on the two elite strawweight competitors.
'Thug' Rose and 'Cookie Monster' first met during The Ultimate Fighter 20 finale eight years ago. Despite the bout being the pair's first fight with the UFC, Esparza made her 12th appearance in a cage, making her the much more experienced athlete on the night.
Speaking on BT Sport alongside Adam Catterall and Nick Peet, Michael Bisping gave his take on the matchup, listing the fighters' strengths as we move closer to the title bout:
"Look at what Rose Namajunas has done, what she's become. I mean, she is poetry in motion, I love watching her fight. I love the footwork, I love the striking, I love the mental approach, the composure. Everything that you want to see from a fighter, Rose Namajunas has... Carla Esparza, she's gotta do what she did the first time. She's gotta rely on the wrestling, that's the way she does it... She has got that wrestling, she has got that equalizer. If she can take her down and control her, it could be a very tough night at the office."
The former UFC middleweight champion gave his final prediction for the championship showdown between Namajunas and Esparza, saying:
"Namajunas, as I said, on the feet, is poetry in motion... With Trevor Wittman, who's one of the best strategic minds in the sport, they're gonna come up with the perfect game plan... I got Rose Namajunas winning, I think it's gonna be a stoppage. We'll say round number tres [three]."
Namajunas will be hoping to make a second successive defense of her strawweight title but must first get past a woman who finished her during their first bout.
Check out what Michael Bisping had to say about the clash in the video below:
Rose Namajunas' UFC title reign
'Thug' Rose shocked the world by scoring a knockout victory over the then-undefeated and heavy favorite, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, earning herself the first belt of her MMA career.
In the rematch, the 29-year-old came out on top once again, this time by decision, defending her strap. A knockout loss allowed Jessica Andrade to steal the gold away from the champion.
Namajunas fought her way back to a title match and set the world alight again when she hit a beautiful head kick against Zhang Weili and recaptured her title. She later defended it again Weili in a rematch where she won by split decision.