The second fight of UFC 251's main card featured a highly anticipated rematch between former strawweight champions Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade. The two previously met at UFC 237 in May 2019 in a title match in which Andrade shocking knocked out Namajunas with a vicious slam that saw the champion land on her head. Andrade went on to lose the belt to Zhang Weili in her very next match while Namajunas took some time away from the Octagon to get herself back in the right state of mind. The two were originally supposed to meet for a rematch at UFC 249 in April but Namajunas withdrew from the event due to a pair of deaths in her family related to COVID-19. The wait led to even more build-up and on July 11, the two finally met for a second time.
Both fighters looked to have learned from their previous meeting. Namajunas was more aggressive and appeared much better suited to defend the clinch. Every time Andrade went for the clinch, she was met with a knee. Andrade, aware of the technical prowess of her opponent's striking ability, made a concerted effort to use more head movement. Both fighters' tactics appeared effective as the fight went the distance for three rounds.
Namajunas stayed busy in the first, using her length to keep at a safe distance. Andrade dodged most of the incoming shots but Namajunas did enough to take the round. The action picked up in the second frame with both fighters maintaining their strategy. Namajunas appeared to have won the second round as well, keeping Andrade at bay for the most part. However, with fatigue starting to set in, Andrade managed to land some powerful blows of her own.
Sensing she might need a finish, Andrade came out much more aggressive in the third round. While Namajunas landed more punches throughout the fight, it was Andrade who was landing the harder hits. By the end of the third round, Namajunas was bloodied and bruised. At times, it looked like Andrade could even score another surprise finish but Namajunas maintained her cool and went for takedowns when in trouble.
It's a good thing fights aren't judged by how the fighters look at the end because Namajunas was definitely wearing more of the shots. The judges ultimately scored it 29-28 twice and 28-29 for the No. 2-ranked Namajunas. She will likely face current strawweight champion Zhang Weili for a chance to recapture her belt. Andrade, who entered the night as the No. 1 contender, falls to 20-8.