UFC 274: Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza Odds

Rose Namajunas is favored against Carla Esparza at UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje on Saturday, May 7 in Phoenix, Arizona. This event is one of five fights on the main pay-per-view card. Namajunas is 11-4 in her career, while Esparza is 18-6 in her career. There are a total of 15 fights with five on Pay-Per-View, four on ESPN/ESPN+ and six on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass at UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje. Let’s look at the bout between Namajunas and Esparza and UFC predictions.

UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje takes place at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, May 7 with 15 fights with five on Pay-Per-View, four on ESPN/ESPN+ and six on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje Betting

Rose Namajunas (11-4, 9-3 UFC)

Namajunas came into the UFC with a record of 2-1 and she has nine wins and three losses in the UFC. In her last six fights, she has five wins and one loss in the UFC. She defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk by TKO, Joanna Jedrzejczyk by unanimous decision, lost by KO against Jessica Andrade, won by split decision against Jessica Andrade, won by KO against Zhang Weili, and won by split decision against Zhang Weili. Namajunas has been a pro since 2013 and she has two wins by TKO/KO and five by submission. She has four first round finishes.

Namajunas said this to si.com about her upcoming fight against Esparza, “I’m carrying my loads of experience with me into the Octagon. Knowing how that loss felt, and the mental stress it added on, it made me stronger. I want to punch her in the face, take her back, and choke her out. Just like the last time. That last fight seems like forever ago. We’ve both improved a lot, and I know I am way better at what I do.”

Carla Esparza (18-6, 9-4 UFC)

Esparza came into the UFC with a record of 9-2 and she has nine wins and four losses in the UFC. In her last six fights, she has five wins and one loss in the UFC. She defeated Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision, Alexa Grasso by majority decision, Michelle Waterson by split decision, Marina Rodriguez by split decision, and Yan Xiaonan by TKO; while losing to Tatiana Suarez by TKO. Esparza has been a pro since 2010 and she has four wins by TKO/KO and four by submission. She has three first round finishes.

Esparza said this to mmajunkie.usatoday.com about her upcoming fight against Namajunas, “In my whole career, I’ve never had a rematch. This is the first one. I’m really interested to see how it goes, and I’m just as motivated. It almost feels like I’m fighting a different person. I am fighting a different person in Rose because it’s been so many years. I’ve evolved so much, she’s evolved so much, so in a way it doesn’t feel like a rematch. We’ve come so far, and she’s kind of gone through everyone and really improve so much and beat so many people that I think she is the champion, and she deserves to be the champion and where she’s at. So I’m definitely looking at her like she’s the one to beat, she’s No. 1, she’s the champ. But like you said, I do have the win over her, so it’s kind of hard to say what her motivation will be. I know that she’s always had that extra motivation for anyone that she’s lost to in the past, and she’s really come back strong and beaten everyone so far.”

Striking Stats

Strikes landed per minute: Namajunas 4.01 / Esparza 2.34

Striking Accuracy: Namajunas 41% / Esparza 43%

Strikes absorbed per minute: Namajunas 3.88 / Esparza 2.75

Defense: Namajunas 59% / Esparza 53%

Grappling Stats

Takedown average: Namajunas 1.78 / Esparza 3.53

Takedown Accuracy: Namajunas 56% / Esparza 37%

Takedowns defended: Namajunas 51% / Esparza 48%

Submission average: Namajunas 0.7 / Esparza 0.3

UFC Picks

Namajunas is listed as a 2-1 favorite to win this fight and those odds seem fair. On paper, these two have similar records, but Namajunas is a champion, while Esparza has really done nothing since beating Namajunas eight years ago to win the inaugural strawweight title. I am not impressed at all with the list of fighters who Esparza has beaten and I think Namajunas is clearly the superior fighter. I’ll lay the 2-1 and take Namajunas to win this fight.

UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje Card & Odds

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