MMA fighter Miranda Maverick suffered a significant injury during her recent bout against former UFC champion Rose Namajunas.
Maverick faced her former training partner in the co-main event of UFC Atlanta on Saturday. She ultimately lost the competitive contest via unanimous decision, which brought an end to her impressive four-fight winning streak. In the third round, Namajunas landed a left hook that appeared to drop Maverick, though a closer look suggested a leg injury might have also played a role.
Following the loss, Maverick issued her first public statement, revealing she had actually sustained a torn ACL during the fight, even before the sequence in the third round.
In an Instagram post, Maverick wrote, “Not the result I wanted but I fought with what I had.” She clarified the timing of the injury, stating, “My ACL was torn in the second round (I’ll have to rewatch to know exactly when but I think it was during a takedown exchange).”
Explaining the third-round moment, she added, “I never got dropped, but I was unstable on my legs so as soon as I got hit in the third round, my leg buckled.” Maverick concluded by expressing gratitude: “I’m blessed I was able to make it to the end of the fight and I’m honored that I got to share the cage with the legend [Rose Namajunas].”
Looking ahead to her recovery, she stated, “I’ll take this layoff in stride and you will see me again! But for now time to recover and figure some things out.”
The defeat brings the 27-year-old`s UFC record to 8-4. Notably, all her losses within the promotion have come against opponents currently ranked in the top 10 of the UFC`s flyweight division. Prior to this fight, Maverick had achieved four consecutive victories, including a unanimous decision win over Jamey-Lyn Horth at UFC Tampa.
For Rose Namajunas, the win improves her record in the flyweight division to 3-2 since the two-time strawweight champion moved up. This victory puts her back in the win column after a close decision loss to Erin Blanchfield last November at UFC Edmonton.
