Watch: 'Thug' Rose Namajunas' kicks sound like the crack of a whip as she prepares for a rematch against Weili Zhang at UFC 268

Rose Namajunas demonstrates a whipping kick. [Image Courtesy: @rosenamajunas on Instagram]

Rose Namajunas demonstrated how lethal her kicks are during her UFC 261 clash with Weili Zhang. However, behind-the-scenes footage of 'Thug' Rose hitting the pads gave fans a new perspective of how devastating they truly are.

In a video posted by UFC Canada's Twitter account, the reigning UFC strawweight queen was seen keeping her striking sharp with her fiancé Pat Barry. The sound of Namajunas' kicks making contact with leather resembles that of a whip's crack.

The head kicks are coming 👀

@RoseNamajunas ready to defend her throne at #UFC268! https://t.co/fFUiNXEBmY

Namajunas, of course, is regarded as one of the best technical strikers in the UFC. The 29-year-old has relied on her proficiency in the stand-up department to reach the mountaintop of her division.

After recovering from her loss in The Ultimate Fighter season 20 finale, Namajunas upset Joanna Jedrzejczyk to become the UFC strawweight champion in 2017. She then dropped the title in her second title defense against Jessica Andrade.

Earlier this year, Namajunas became the first woman in the UFC to regain a world title. She recaptured the strawweight throne from Zhang in the co-main event of UFC 261 in March. A perfectly-timed head kick off the front leg knocked the Chinese star unconscious and secured a first-round victory for Namajunas.

ON THE BUTTON! 🎯

Rose Namajunas finishes Zhang Weili in the first round to become UFC strawweight champion once again! 🏆

#UFC261 https://t.co/zRxH9GFWZp

Strawweight contenders pick Rose Namajunas to retain

Rose Namajunas will have the opportunity to prove that her win against Weili Zhang at UFC 261 was no fluke. She will face Zhang in a rematch in the co-main event of UFC 268 next month.

The tides have shifted in favor of Namajunas since she came in as a massive underdog against Zhang in their first go-round. Top UFC strawweight contenders Jessica Andrade and Carla Esparza are convinced that Namajunas will get the job done against Zhang once again.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Esparza, who defeated Rose Namajunas in the TUF 20 finale, said:

“I think that Rose will win again. I think she’ll win the rematch. I don’t know if it’ll be that quick, but for my sake, I hope so. I hope she gets a great finish and she comes out undamaged and that will lead to a sooner turnaround for us to fight, potentially.”

Meanwhile, Andrade, who has fought Namajunas twice, believes 'Thug' Rose will score another KO at UFC 268. She also stated that she's coming after the winner of the championship bout.