After UFC 218 win, Tecia Torres wants rubber match with new champ Rose Namajunas

Tecia Torres won her third straight fight with a unanimous-decision victory over Michelle Waterson on Saturday at UFC 218, which leaves the question of what should come next for “The Tiny Tornado” in a suddenly wide open women’s strawweight division.

Fortunately, Torres (10-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has some ideas on the matter. As she told reporters after she outlasted Waterson (14-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in Detroit’s pay-per-view opener on Saturday in Detroit, she could see herself in a fight with fellow contender Claudia Gadelha (15-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), or maybe even taking on the eventual winner of the slated bout between Karolina Kowalkiewicz (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Jessica Andrade (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who are expected to fight in February at UFC on FOX 28.

“But really, I’d like a title fight,” Torres said. “I’d like that grudge match. I think it’s a fight that fans want to see.”

Of course, fans already have seen it. Twice, in fact. Current UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (7-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) split a pair of bouts with Torres, with Torres claiming the decision victory in the first meeting at Invicta FC 6 in 2013, and Namajunas winning the UFC rematch via the same method last year.

What’s more, the two young fighters each had the honor of giving each other the first professional losses of their respective careers, so already there’s plenty of history between them.

“I think the story is there,” Torres said. “And I think it would be a great fight for the fans and for myself. Nothing against Rose, business is business. I want that title fight, and I’ve been wanting it for a long time.”

Namajunas is fresh off her upset victory over longtime champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217, where she stunned the MMA world with a first-round TKO of one of the UFC’s most dominant champions. And while Jedrzejczyk has vowed to reclaim her title, no future plans have been announced regarding the division’s next title fight.

According to Torres, the quick win by Namajunas was an impressive one, but didn’t leave a lot of opportunities for film study.

“I was totally impressed by Rose in her last fight, but I mean … there wasn’t really much to see out of that,” Torres said. “You’ve seen Rose as a fighter. She’s very unpredictable. She’s very good at her jiu-jitsu, very good striker, well-rounded fighter. Every fight presents something new, so I wouldn’t be able to pick something out of there. It would just be me and her fighting.”

Fortunately for Torres, she has plenty of experience there with two fights against Namajunas already. If she could face her for a third time, she said, and this time in a five-round fight rather than a three-rounder, she’s confident that her cardio and fast pace would become an advantage.

“I know how she hits,” Torres said. “I’ve taken her hits for six rounds, so it’d be a fun fight, and I’d be very comfortable and just excited about it. She’s a true representation of the strawweight division, and it’d be an honor to fight her a third time for a title.”

For complete coverage of UFC 218, check out the UFC Events section of the site.