LAS VEGAS -- There's a young, talented, marketable prospect in the UFC's female strawweight division. Her name is Rose Namajunas.
Namajunas (4-2) looked sensational in an upset win at UFC Fight Night on Thursday at The Cosmopolitan, submitting fellow prospect Paige VanZant (6-2) via rear-naked choke at 2 minutes, 25 seconds into the fifth round.
A 23-year-old talent fighting out of Denver, Namajunas matched the high pace VanZant is notorious for. She consistently outwrestled her in the clinch and dominated virtually every exchange on the feet. VanZant, 21, drew plenty of support from the crowd as she escaped one poor position after another, but she managed almost no offense of her own.
"You want the finish and it's frustrating to not get it right away," Namajunas said. "But as time went on I said, 'You know what, I feel so good. I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing.'"
According to immediate cageside statistics by Fightmetric, Namajunas outlanded VanZant in total strikes 104 to 53. The bigger story, however, was her grappling, as she planted VanZant, who fights out of Team Alpha Male, on her back during all five rounds. Namajunas was credited with eight total takedowns, while VanZant scored none.
Namajunas landed a sharp left hook in the fight's opening seconds. She scored a takedown moments later and landed a few hard elbows, one of which cut VanZant on the right cheek. A rear-naked choke nearly sealed the deal in that round, but VanZant fought off the attempt.
In the third, it appeared VanZant would finally gain some momentum. After getting back to her feet following a Namajunas takedown, VanZant landed a left hook and a nice knee to her opponent's chin. Namajunas barely blinked. Late in the round, she took VanZant's back standing. VanZant, not knowing what else to do, slammed her body backward and nearly tapped to another rear-naked.
After threatening with multiple armbar attempts in the fourth, Namajunas finally put the fight away in the fifth with the choke. It is the fourth submission win of her career. She also recorded three unofficial submission finishes as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter reality series last year. Her only loss in the UFC came to Carla Esparza in the inaugural UFC strawweight title fight. Namajunas lost via rear-naked choke.
Sporting a new crew-cut hairstyle, Namajunas said she's ready for anything the UFC throws at her next. Coming into the fight, ESPN.com ranked Namajunas the No. 8 strawweight in the world.
"It don't matter to me," Namajunas said. "I just want to take a little break and let my body heal. I'm ready for anybody."
Lightweight Michael Chiesa (13-2) added a major feather to his cap, submitting veteran opponent Jim Miller (25-7) via rear-naked choke at 2:57 of the second round. Chiesa survived that exact choke in the first, as Miller took his back early. Chiesa publicly declared himself to be a top 15 lightweight after the win and promised to break the top five by the end of next year. He is 6-2 in the UFC, with four submissions.
Middleweight Thiago Santos (12-3) handed Canadian Elias Theodorou (11-1) his first pro defeat, unanimously outscoring the former TUF winner on the judges scorecards 29-27, 29-27 and 29-28. Theodorou started strong with kicks to the body, but Santos weathered the storm and put a beating on him late. He opened a deep cut on Theodorou's forehead with a knee and nearly knocked him out in the third. It is the Brazilian's third consecutive win.
