Since Holly Holm dethroned bantamweight Ronda Rousey last month in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, there's not been talk of much else when it comes to women's mixed martial arts. But Thursday night will see fan favourite take on fan favourite in Paige VanZant versus Rose Namajunas.
Namajunas, who rose to recognition following The Ultimate Fighter 20 series in which she fought her way to the finale, has become popular thanks to her passionate, fast-paced and dynamic fighting style. The 23-year-old currently holds one win and one loss within the UFC, but it's worth mentioning that her only loss was in a title fight against the former champion, Carla Esparza.
Similarly, the incredibly marketable VanZant has won fans and critics over with her relentless pressure in fights which tends to leave her opponents unable to keep up. In her relatively short UFC career, the strawweight - who hails from an impressive roster of fighters at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento - has already made serious waves in the sport and has climbed the ranks of her division quickly and decisively. She's unbeaten with a 3-0 record in the UFC, and seems to be on the fast track to a title shot against reigning champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Could Namajunas be the one to derail the VanZant hype train?
While the fight was originally meant to take place between VanZant and exciting Scottish fighter Joanne Calderwood, an injury forced Namajunas to take Calderwood's place. There were minimal complaints from UFC fans, though, as both Namajunas and VanZant boast an explosive set of skills to accompany their unforgiving, forward-moving pressure. Predicting how this fight will play out is tough, but we can only imagine that no corner of the Octagon will be left untouched, and no tool in either fighter's skill-set will be left unused.
With VanZant versus Namajunas being the first ever female non-title fight to headline a UFC card, it goes without saying that this really isn't one to be missed. Add to this an impressive supporting card featuring exciting fighters like Jim Miller, Michael Chiesa and Sage Northcutt, and you've got yourself a fight night that promises fireworks.
Catch UFC Fight Night 80 on UFC Fight Pass (ufc.tv) on Friday morning at 3am GMT.
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