Well, at least until Rose Namajunas did it in 2021.
Before that, some of the greats of the sport, including Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm and Joanna Jedrzejczyk failed in their attempts to become two-time UFC champions. In fact, Namajunas herself kept Joanna from regaining the strawweight crown, but after that 2018 win that made it 2-0 for “Thug Rose” over the Polish star, it was Namajunas that was placed back in the role of challenger after a stunning loss to Jessica Andrade in May of 2019.
UFC’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY EXPERIENCE | BREAKING BARRIERS
It was going to be a long road back, especially after Andrade soon lost the title to China’s Zhang Weili, but it seemed like titles were never the end goal for Namajunas. It was about the journey, the people she met along the way and the stories she had compiled to look back on when she was 100 years old. It was about being the best.
And after a year away from the Octagon, she got her rematch with Andrade. This one didn’t have a title attached to it, and instead of Brooklyn, New York, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the bout to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, and while traveling during this uncertain time wasn’t ideal – especially after the virus claimed members of her family – she was going to show up, especially after reading a Bible verse that inspired her.
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”