"The only fight I can compare that to is Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou" - Steve-O outlines disappointment in rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza
Steve-O (real name: Stephen Gilchrist Glover) has put forth his take on Rose Namajunas’ rematch against Carla Esparza. The popular entertainer and stunt performer suggested that he was disappointed by how the fight played out.
Their first fight witnessed Esparza defeat Namajunas via third-round submission in 2014. 'Cookie Monster' thereby won the TUF 20 women's strawweight tournament and became the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion. Esparza lost her title in her very next fight.
In the ensuing years, Namajunas became a two-time strawweight champion. The Namajunas-Esparza rematch took place at UFC 274 in May of this year. The fight featured minimal activity, and the judges ultimately handed Esparza a split decision victory, crowning her the new UFC women’s strawweight champion.
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Carla Esparza defeats Rose Namajunas via split decision and is once again the UFC Strawweight Champion! 🏆
#UFC274 https://t.co/fUr101BrM3
On the first episode of Daniel Cormier’s new show Multifaceted, 'DC' asked Steve-O for his thoughts on the UFC 274 fight between Namajunas and Esparza. Steve-O responded by comparing it to another fight that featured negligible action on the part of both fighters.
The other fight in question was the heavyweight bout between Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis at UFC 226 in July 2018, which Lewis won via unanimous decision. Steve-O stated:
“I mean, the only fight I can compare that [the Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza rematch] to is Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou. It was pretty f**king bad, you know. You had Ngannou, who had just lost to Stipe [Miocic]. He’d got all kinds of self-doubt. You had Derrick Lewis with an active back injury, afraid to engage. I mean, it was bad.”
Check out Steve-O's comments in the video below:
Curtis Blaydes on what Rose Namajunas could’ve done differently to beat Carla Esparza at UFC 274
Presently, it’s unclear as to whether or not 'Thug' Rose Namajunas and 'Cookie Monster' will clash in a trilogy fight next. Meanwhile, top-tier strawweights such as Marina Rodriguez and Jessica Andrade have been assertively lobbying for a title shot against Carla Esparza.
In a recent interview with James Lynch, Rose Namajunas’ training partner Curtis Blaydes chimed in on her UFC 274 loss to Carla Esparza. Akin to many others, the UFC heavyweight compared the Namajunas-Esparza rematch to the infamous Ngannou-Lewis fight. Additionally, explaining what Namajunas could’ve done differently in the "very weird" fight, Blaydes said:
“I picked up early in the first round like, Rose made Carla look like a Smurf in there. Like, Rose had the reach advantage. She could’ve been touching her a little more with the lead hand and maybe add in some more attacks, kicks, something."
Watch the full interview with Curtis Blaydes below: