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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
Former UFC champion Rose Namajunas will continue to test the waters of a new weight class in 2024.
Namajunas will face Amanda Ribas in a flyweight main event at UFC Fight Night on March 23, UFC CEO Dana White announced Friday. The event is expected to take place at the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas.
Namajunas (11-6) is a former strawweight champion and actually owns a 2-0 record against the current 115-pound champion, Zhang Weili..
Namajunas, 31, elected to move up in weight to 125 pounds, however, in 2023. She suffered a unanimous decision loss to Manon Fiorot in September. Fiorot is considered among the top flyweights in the world and is likely one win away from a UFC title shot.
Ribas (12-4) has also competed at both strawweight and flyweight, but has primarily settled into the heavier weight class. Her most recent appearance was at strawweight in November, but she had fought at flyweight in three consecutive appearances prior to that.
Her last win at flyweight came against Viviane Araujo last March.
The UFC’s current flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, does not currently have a title defense booked, but White has indicated that will likely come against Valentina Shevchenko.
Namajunas will be looking to break into the Top 10 of her new weight class for the first time. Ribas is currently ranked No. 9 in the division.