UFC 249 adds Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade
Rose Namajunas punches Jessica Andrade in their women's strawweight championship bout at UFC 237 at Jeunesse Arena on May 11, 2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Credit: Getty Images/Alexandre Schneider
Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade have fought each other before, and they'll do so again at UFC 249 on April 18 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The women's strawweight bout, first reported Thursday by ESPN, was made official on Friday by the UFC.
Former champions facing each other isn't a new thing in MMA, but this particular rematch represents something not all that common: each fighter's return to the octagon for the first time since losing their title.
Namajunas (8-4) lost the title to Andrade at UFC 237 in Brazil in May 2019, a knockout via slam in the second round. It also left Namajunas contemplating retirement, saying she had lost her passion for fighting.
Andrade (20-7) lost her first title defense last August, a 42-second TKO by Zhang Weili in China.
UFC 249 fight card so far
Lightweight championship: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson
Middleweight: Uriah Hall vs. Jacare Souza
Women's strawweight: Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
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