The UFC returns to our screens for another action-filled pay-per-view event from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Top-ranked women’s strawweight contenders Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza will meet for the second time as the 115lb championship will be decided in the UFC 274 co-main event.
Read on for our complete betting guide taking a first look at Namajunas and Esparza, including updated UFC odds and our free expert UFC betting picks, predictions, and analysis.
Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza
UFC Women’s Strawweight Co-Main Event Championship Bout
Saturday, May 07, 2022 – 10:05 PM EDT at Footprint Center
What's Rose Namajunas' Fighter Profile?
- Pro MMA Record: (11-4-0) (2 KOs, 8 submissions)
- Age: 29
- Height: 5'5"
- Reach: 65.0"
- Trains With: Genesis Academy
- Origin Fighting Style: Taekwondo
The monumental rise of “Thug Rose” Namajunas has been one of the most intriguing come-up stories in women’s MMA history. She suffered setbacks during her initial days under the UFC banner, notably losing during the Ultimate Fighter tournament to the opponent she’ll be facing this weekend in a strawweight championship rematch eight years in the making.
The critical difference between Rose back then and Rose now is the apparent piece of gold around her waist as she’s dominated the division whilst Carla Esparza has been making her way back into title contention.
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Having fought the whose-who of elite-level women’s strawweight, we’ve watched Rose grow from a grappler into one of the most technical strikers in the division. The well-roundedness of Rose’s game is the reason why she’s on top of her division, and back-to-back wins over Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk are all the proof that’s needed to back up this statement.
Rose Namajunas Best Available Odds: (-205) with BetOnline
What's Carla Esparza's Fighter Profile?
- Pro MMA Record: (18-6-0) (3 KOs, 6 submissions)
- Age: 34
- Height: 5'1"
- Reach: 63.0"
- Trains With: Team Oyama
- Origin Fighting Style: Wrestling
The first-ever women’s strawweight champion has spent the previous seven years working her way back into title contention. Finally, Carla Esparza has battle-tested herself to once again make history – notably versus the same opponent she obtained the championship against.
A five-fight win streak and an impressive TKO stoppage in her previous bout earned Carla her chance at title redemption, but she won’t be facing the same Rose Namajunas she managed to submit via rear-naked choke in their first meeting.
Despite the significant changes in the skillsets of both competitors, Carla must be confident entering this contest with a heavy wrestling base that’s assisted her in almost every professional fight she’s been involved in.
Carla Esparza Best Available Odds: ( +175) with BetOnline
What’s Namajunas’ Fight Style and How Can She Defeat Esparza?
Rose entered the fight game as a tricky grappler with excellent jiu-jitsu skills; as of 2022, she’s a complete fighter who evolved her striking offense to compete with the most recognizable female strikers in the business.
Rose’s first meeting with Carla put an incredibly green striker on display; she would throw naked and wild strikes, which could be easily read. Today's Rose disguises her output behind countless faints and unreadable setups, and her ability to mix up the striking and grappling are almost effortless.
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She can be taken down, but the activity she’s shown of her back in recent years is phenomenal compared to the Rose we witnessed fight Carla all those years ago. On the feet, this is Rose’s fight to lose, and the submission threats from her back could be the key to keeping this fight standing.
What’s Esparza’s Fight Style and How Can She Defeat Namajunas?
Let’s not pretend that Carla isn’t going to wrestle; she needs to make this contest boring and maintain as much top control as possible. Throughout a 25-minute limit, however, this could prove difficult.
With that said, the wrestling and top control combined with ground and pound is her strongest path to victory, and her team won’t be banking on success through exchanging strikes with Rose.
What’s Namajunas vs. Esparza Betting Prediction?
The available UFC odds at Bookmakers Review favor Rose, and as both ladies have shown extreme advancements since their first fight, we cannot judge this contest based on those results.
I struggle to envision Rose losing 3 of the 5 rounds to ground control. I believe she’ll be too active to allow Carla this much success.
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Rose will need to emphasize her boxing output with the longer reach and sharper combinations; her kicking game will be nullified as this method will hand Carla Esparza unlimited takedowns.
For my UFC betting picks, I expect Carla to win a round or maybe two, but ultimately, Rose's fight intelligence and output should keep the championship around her waist.
UFC 274 Pick: Rose to Win (-205) [2.05u returns 1u profit] with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
