Rose Namajunas Pulls Out of UFC 249 Co-Main Event Against Jessica Andrade for Undisclosed Reasons
By Evan Wolff
One of the biggest fights on the upcoming UFC 249 card was meant to feature "Thug" Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade squaring off in women's strawweight action. Fight fans were pumped about the possibility of Namajunas avenging her previous loss against Andrade in May 2019's title fight. Unfortunately, this co-main event is reportedly off.
Per Marc Raimondi and Ariel Helwani of ESPN, Namajunas has pulled out of the April 18 fight for reasons that are currently undisclosed.
Rose Namajunas is out of her scheduled bout with Jessica Andrade at #UFC249 for undisclosed reasons, first reported by Combate and confirmed with sources by ESPN on Wednesday.
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 8, 2020
No replacement has been set yet to fight Andrade. (via @marc_raimondi, @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/mrfUsSJHC6
Now Dana White must scramble to replace one of the most intriguing, narrative-rich fights on the card.
It's disappointing news for fans who have waited nearly 10 months for the former champion to return to action. However, knowing the previous battles she's described with anxiety and mental health and the general disarray and fear that comes with the coronavirus pandemic, seeing her drop out of UFC 249 doesn't come as a complete shock, though we're not suggesting this is specifically why she's withdrawn.
Rose Namajunas on taking time off to face the anxieties that came from her last bout against Joanna Jędrzejczyk. pic.twitter.com/nzP0kB0Uwg
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 9, 2019
Not for nothing, the location of this April 18 event hasn't even been officially unveiled. If you find the whole situation a bit dicey, you're not alone. With still a massive amount of uncertainty surrounding UFC 249, don't be surprised if Namajunas isn't the last fighter to pull out of the event.