UFC 223 live blog: Namajunas vs. Jedrzejczyk 2

This is the UFC 223 live blog for Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk 2, a strawweight championship bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Namajunas defeated Jedrzejczyk by first-round TKO at UFC 217 last November to hand the Polish star her first loss and claim the 115-pound title. The two will face each other in a rematch in the co-main event.

Check out the UFC 223 live blog below.

Round 1: Keith Peterson is your referee for this strawweight championship rematch. Jedrzejczyk looking light on her feet, bouncing around, Namajunas also utilizing a lot of lateral movement. Jedrzejczyk pressuring with the jab. Jedrzejczyk with a short right in the opening exchange. Namajunas with a jab, then a 1-2 combo as Jedrzejczyk ducks in. Namajunas’s jab starting to land with consistency. Jedrzejczyk scoring with inside leg kicks. Stiff right hand by Namajunas, followed by two more solid punches. Jedrzejczyk smiles in response. Namajunas’s head movement is giving Jedrzejczyk problems. Jedrzejczyk connects with a right hand in the closing moments, Namajunas rushes forward and they exchange before clinching up as the round ends.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Namajunas.

Round 2: Namajunas looking more aggressive already, scoring with a punching combination to open round two. They’re trading jabs periodically now. Namajunas pushing the pace. Jedrzejczyk scoring with inside and outside leg kicks. Straight punches by Namajunas are landing. Jedrzejczyk’s leg kicks are causing visible damage to Namajunas’s leg. Knee to the body by Joanna as Namajunas pushes her against the fence. Jedrzejczyk complains of an eye poke, but Peterson does not call for a pause in the action. Namajunas gets the better of an exchange, connecting with a left hook. Front kick by Jedrzejczyk misses, Namajunas lands another hook off of it. Jedrzejczyk connects with a knee to the body. They clinch up against the fence, Namajunas pressing down on Jedrzejczyk.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Namajunas. Overall 20-18, Namajunas.

Round 3: Glove touch to start round three. Counter right by Namajunas causes Jedrzejczyk to back off, but she’s still smiling. The leg kick is still proving successful for Jedrzejczyk. They exchange again and Namajunas scores the best shot, a right hand over the top. Jab by Jedrzejczyk lands. Namajunas partially blocks a high kick and fires back with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk doing a good job of avoiding Namajunas’s punches now while continuing to work over the lead leg. A jab leads to a successful 1-2 combo for Jedrzejczyk. Jedrzejczyk catches a kick and answers with one to Namajunas’s body. Right hand by Jedrzejczyk, then another.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Jedrzejczyk. Overall 29-28, Namajunas.

Round 4: Another strong leg kick lands for Jedrzejczyk as Namajunas comes forward. Now it’s Jedrzejczyk getting the better of the punching exchanges, landing solidly on Namajunas’s body. Counter leg kicks are scoring big for Jedrzejczyk and Namajunas finally lands one of her own. Right hand for Rose, then the left as Jedrzejczyk backs up. Jedrzejczyk looking crisp and she evades a Namajunas punch while landing two of her own. Jedrzejczyk the clear aggressor now. Namajunas responds with a 1-2 combo. Jedrzejczyk throwing in bunches now, but Namajunas answers back, causing Jedrzejczyk to smile more. Jedrzejczyk slipping punches and landing. Namajunas gets her with a left hook.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Jedrzejczyk. Overall 38-38.

Round 5: They touch gloves once more to kick off the final frame. Leg kicks by Jedrzejczyk, but Namajunas comes out explosive, landing a hard left hand. She’s throwing freely now. Jedrzejczyk is hanging in there with her. 1-2 by Namajunas gets right past Jedrzejczyk’s defences. Knee up the middle for Jedrzejczyk. Namajunas presses forward and her punches are landing. Some swelling showing on Jedrzejczyk’s face and her nose is busted up. Lunging uppercut scores for Namajunas. Her accuracy appears to be back and she’s repeatedly connecting with hooks in the exchanges. High front kick by Namajunas glances Jedrzejczyk’s chest. This one could e coming down to the last minute. Even punching exchanges, difficult to tell who’s getting the better of them. Namajunas with the late takedown to try and seal the round and the fight. Jedrzejczyk fighting to get back to her feet against the fence. Namajunas holds on until the buzzer sounds. This is going to be a close, close scorecard.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Namajunas. Overall 48-47, Namajunas.

Official result: Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)