Rose Namajunas News
![Rose Namajunas calls out Michelle Waterson](https://www.bjpenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pjimage-2-118x78.jpg)
Namajunas vs. Waterson and three other fights added to UFC on FOX 24
Chris Taylor - February 12, 2017
During last night’s UFC 208 preliminary broadcast, the promotion announced that a key women’s strawweight bout featuring Michelle Waterson taking on Rose Namajunas was set for UFC on FOX 24 in Kansas City on April 15. Michelle Waterson was last seen inside the octagon in December where she scored a first-round submission victory over Paige VanZant.
![Rose Namajunas](https://www.bjpenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Rose-Namajunas-wins-118x78.png)
Rose Namajunas training with Valentina Shevchenko, still eyeing Michelle Waterson fight
bjpenndotcom - January 10, 2017
Rose Namajunas has been absent from the Octagon following her UFC 201 split decision loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz back at UFC 201 in July. The loss snapped a 3-fight win streak for Namajunas which saw her defeat Angela Hill, Paige VanZant, and Tecia Torres following her TUF 20 Finale loss to Carla Esparza in 2014. Following her loss to Kowalkiewicz, Namajunas headed to Indonesia where she spent quite a bit of time breaking the cycle of daily life in Denver, Colorado. During a brief return to Colorado this week, Namajunas spoke on The MMA Hour to discuss her training with top ranked women’s bantamweight Valentina Shevchenko, her next potential fight, and her growth as a fighter, saying:
![Rose Namajunas calls out Michelle Waterson](https://www.bjpenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pjimage-2-118x78.jpg)
Rose Namajunas explains callout of "The Karate Hottie" Michelle Waterson
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2017
Long-time strawweight contender Rose Namajunas is currently riding a loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and she knows just who she wants to fight to bounce back from that loss. The ever-entertaining strawweight has been vocal in her desire for a fight with “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson, who scored a first-round submission win over Paige VanZant last month. Waterson, of course, isn’t the highest ranked opponent Namajunas could have called out. Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Aguilar both enjoy a higher station in the strawweight division. According to Namajunas, however, Waterson is a more marketable opponent than either Gadelha or Aguilar, which is why she called her out.
![Rose Namajunas](https://www.bjpenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Rose-Namajunas-wins-118x78.png)
Rose Namajunas calls for fight with "The Karate Hottie" Michelle Waterson
Tom Taylor - December 19, 2016
On Saturday night, in the main event of UFC on Fox 22, former Invicta Fighting Championship atomweight queen Michelle Waterson scored a huge win over highly regarded prospect Paige VanZant. Waterson earned this win by putting VanZant to sleep with a first-round rear-naked choke. In victory, the former Invicta champ continues her march up the UFC strawweight rankings, where a plethora of exciting matchups await. Though the UFC’s matchmaking team has a long list of potential matchup options to consider when booking Waterson’s next fight, a recent callout from one of the division’s top fighters might have made their job a lot easier. That fighter is Rose Namajunas, a former title challenger who currently holds the number-four spot in the divisional rankings.