The first time Carla Esparza faced Rose Namajunas, Esparza went 5-for-7 on takedowns on her way to a third-round submission win. Over her next 10 fights, Namajunas’ opponents scored a combined four takedowns. Then, in November, Zhang Weili put Namajunas on the mat five times on 11 attempts. Namajunas didn’t stay on the ground long during that contest and she successfully defended her UFC strawweight crown. However, the fact that Zhang landed nearly 50 percent of her takedown attempts should be a reason for concern in the Namajunas camp heading into her rematch with Esparza at UFC 274.
Takedowns could be key in Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza title rematch at UFC 274
