Former UFC Strawweight champions Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade will have their long-awaited rematch. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that the fight will happen on July 11. Namajunas was scheduled to fight Andrade at UFC 249 on April 11. Namajunas withdrew due to the unfortunate coronavirus related passing of two family members.
Namajunas is looking to bounce back from a knockout loss to Andrade for the strawweight championship at UFC 237 on May 11, 2019. After her loss, Namajunas had contemplated retiring from MMA. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani spoke with Namajunas about her loss to Andrade on November 11, 2019. In the interview, Namajunas said, “I lost the passion for martial arts and fighting, mainly for fighting, but I found my passion again.”
Andrade is looking to get back into title contention. Andrade lost the strawweight championship to Weili Zhang by TKO at UFC Fight Night 157 on August 31, 2019. The fight only lasted 42 seconds into the first round. Another win over Namajunas can set Andrade up for a rematch against Zhang.
The UFC has yet to announce the fight as official. MMA Junkie’s Dave Doyle and Mike Bohn report that the fight will take place on Fight Island. They also report that the July 11 card will be UFC 251.