Rose Namajunas is one of the most renowned and reputable female fighters on the planet. Having become the face of women’s MMA in her heydays, there is an expectation for Rose to return to her former glory. Not only that, there are big expectations from her to realize her dream of becoming a two-division champion.
For those unaware, “Thug Rose” is the former women’s strawweight champion who is looking to replicate her success in a new division. In the past, Namajunas has been a two-time strawweight champ and has beaten the likes of Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Zhang Weili, and Jessica Andrade. Thus, she has been one of the most highly touted WMMA fighters.
Having lost her title for a second time, Rose made the decision to finally move up a weight class. However, things did not exactly go to plan as she faced defeat at the hands of Manon Fiorot in France. A tough loss to take in her first flyweight contest, it is safe to say that Namajunas is no stranger to adversity. Throughout her career, she has taken losses and bounced back even stronger.
Rose Namajunas career record and achievements
For the most part, Rose Namajunas started off her career in Invicta FC before being called up for The Ultimate Fighter in 2014. Despite losing to Carla Esparza via submission in the finals, the youngster was given a UFC contract regardless. this was off the back of her performances in TUF, including Fight of the Season and Performance of the Season against Joanne Calderwood.
Since then, Namajunas has gone 9-4 in the UFC and 12-6 in MMA overall. Coming into what will be a decade of fighting in the UFC, she has amassed numerous awards and accolades during her tenure. As mentioned previously, she is a two-time champ with two title defenses to her name. Additionally, Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses three times each.
Moreover, Rose Namajunas has won numerous fan awards, including MMA Fighter of the Year, UFC Fighter of the Year, and 2017 Upset of the Year for her win against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Thus, it is clear that she is one of the most accomplished fighters in her domain and as it turns out, she is not done just yet.
Can Rose Namajunas become a women’s flyweight champ?
Having been on the losing end in two out of three outings, some suggest that Rose Namajunas is nearing the end of her fighting days. However, at just 31, it can be said that she still has a lot to give and achieve in the sport. Despite the loss to Fiorot, Rose remains convinced that Flyweight is her new home.
Ahead of the fight against Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 89, Namajunas has spoken a lot about going into the matchup and going on to become a two-division champion:
“I still have time in order to do that, and I feel like I’m still very capable of doing that. Even with the setbacks that I’ve had, I just view it as fuel for going forward, and there are lessons and things that needed to happen, which were blessings in disguise, and I’m really looking forward to Saturday to get there and to be able to say I’m a two-division champion, that would be awesome”.
For the most part, Rose believes that she has taken time to properly transition to becoming a flyweight rather than just bulking up to gain weight. As such having had time to settle into her new frame, it is expected that we will be seeing a newer version of the fighter very soon.
Considering the state of the division and the presence of Alexa Graso and Valentina Shevchenko at the top, it is a very difficult challenge for Rose Namajunas to undertake. However, having been an underdog for most of her career, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising for her to do the unthinkable. With that said, it may be a little difficult for her to warrant a title shot before the end of 2024.
