Rose Namajunas has had an interesting couple of years.

Until early 2022, she was the UFC strawweight champion, and one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the promotion's female divisions. In her first fight of 2022, however, she lost a tedious decision to a fellow former champ in Carla Esparza, and rather than pursue an immediate rematch with her foil, disappeared for the rest of the year. Esparza went on to lose the belt to Zhang Weili, who Namajunas had already beaten twice, but still, "Thug" kept to the sidelines.

The former champ finally returned to action in September 2023, when she moved up to the flyweight division in search of a fresh start. Her first fight in the new weight class saw her matched up with top contender Manon Fiorot, and while she didn't lose terribly, she did suffer a clear decision loss that left many fans with the impression that she was too small for the weight class, and that she'd be better served to return to the strawweight division where she once held the title.

Namajunas ignored those fans, and at UFC on ESPN 53, partook in her second flyweight fight, this time against long-time contender Amanda Ribas of Brazil.

The former champ faced a bit of adversity mid-way through the five-round fight, but was soundly in control through the vast majority of the action, which ultimately earned her a unanimous decision win.

The win over Ribas, ranked No. 7 at flyweight, is not going to earn Namajunas a shot at the belt, especially with the likes of Valentina Shevchenko, Fiorot, and Erin Blanchfield all awaiting their opportunities. That being said, the win was proof that the former strawweight champ can indeed perform at 125 pounds — perhaps even well enough to earn herself a title fight.

Suddenly, her career is right back on track, and we've got to give her props for staying put at flyweight when pretty much everybody felt like it was the wrong division for her.