Rose “Thug” Namajunas - Former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion

Rose Namajunas is an American MMA fighter who fights in the strawweight division at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion. In November 2022, Namajunas was ranked second in the UFC women's strawweight rankings. Then, in June 2023, Namajunas was ranked fourth in the UFC women’s pound-for-pound rankings. Having Lithuanian heritage, Namajunas demonstrates her cultural roots through her mental fortitude.

Namajunas was born on June 29, 1992, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. Her parents came from Lithuania. Though Namajunas lives in the United States, she often visits Lithuania to connect with her roots.

Namajunas was named after her great-grandmother, Rožė Gotšalkienė Namajūnienė. Namajunas’s great-grandfather was an independent military officer.

Namajunas’s grandfather, Algimantas Andriukonis, was an accomplished wrestler who won multiple national championships. Andriukonis was Namajunas’s hero as she practically watched her grandfather practice and train helped inspire her love for martial arts.

Namajunas started taekwondo when she was only five years old and received a junior black belt, or a poom belt, when she turned nine. Wrestling was the first martial art Namajunas became acquainted with which led her to become a wrestler during her time at Milwaukee High School. Later on, Namajunas became interested in karate, followed shortly by a desire to learn BJJ. Being a very active and athletic child, she gave MMA a try by attending Roufusport Jiu Jitsu and training under Duke Roufus.

Rose grew up in a dysfunctional family. Her father had schizophrenia, which caused him to leave his family while Namajunas was still a child. Namajunas’s mother worked to support her and her brother Nojus. She worked alone for the betterment of Namajunas and her brother. Rose’s mother was a pianist who trained at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Namajunas was only 16 when her father died in Germany due to pneumonia. She also was often  bullied at her school and around her neighborhood. Namajunas was often alone because her mother was often busy working and her older brother, Nojus, was rarely ever at home. Namajunas was still a young child when she got her nickname, “Thug Rose.” She got this nickname for being the only white girl in her neighborhood who was not afraid to fight wherever she wanted. She was not a weak girl like other girls of her age.

Namajunas faced child sexual abuse. She never liked to talk about it and didn’t give any details whenever asked. In 2022, Namajunas decided to talk about her child abuse story when a film producer Marius Markevicius approached her. Markevicius tried to contact Namajunas five years ago but Namajunas never felt that she should be able to talk about her demons. Finally in 2022, she allowed Markevicius to make a documentary on her life that covered aspects of her personal as well as professional MMA journey.

She said, “I’m just very grateful that Marius was so patient with me and persistent and persevered through the whole thing” when Namajunas didn’t like to talk about her abuse story. Markevicius is famous for his documentary on the Lithuanian Olympic basketball team. Markevicius wanted to go deeper and cover even those aspects of Namajunas life that are hidden from the public, the aspects that made Namajunas what she is today.

The reason why Namajunas accepted Markevicius’ offer was because she was inspired by his documentary film, “The Other Dream Team”.

The only reason Namajunas agreed on the documentary was that she wanted to help people like her, “If I can help some little kid or whatever that might be dealing with something like that, or even adults that dealt with that in their past, that makes it all the more worth it. You can move on from things and you can make a tragedy into something beautiful and do something positive with any of our suffering”. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Namajunas is a hope for people who suffer and a guiding light for those who fight their demons and emerge victorious.

The documentary named, “Thug Rose: Mixed Martial Artist”, was released on November 9, 2022 on UFC Fight Pass.

Despite being an excellent MMA fighter, Namajunas focused on her studies and graduated from Milwaukee High School of Arts. Her time as a cross-country runner at this institute contributed to the development of Namajunas’s explosive fighting style.

Namajunas is a Christian and has a political stance against communism. The main reason for her anti-communist view is because of the unjust arrest of her great-grandfather, Juozas. Juozas was forced to be part of the Red Army. When Juozas left the Red Army, he was arrested by the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, sent to a prison camp, and later killed by KGM agents in 1968. Namajunas parents were Lithuanian immigrants that were forced to evacuate from Lithuania to save themselves and their children from the oppression of the Red Army.

Photo Credits: @sportsmanor

Namajunas had no personal beef with UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, Zhang Weili. Before her fight with UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili, Namajunas said that this match was “a fight between communism and freedom”. Namajunas believed that Weili was a communist, claiming that “Weili is red” and “represents communism” because of which Namajunas said, “Better dead than red”. When asked about Namajunas's reason to enter the MMA world, Namajunas replied the documentary, The Other Dream Team best expressed her thoughts.

In an interview, Namajunas admitted that she didn’t mean any hate towards Weili. Weili responded by saying that athletes must focus on themselves. The stir caused by Namajunas’s words faded almost as quickly as it started.

Namajunas is engaged to the former Glory and UFC heavyweight fighter Pat Barry. Barry is an MMA instructor who helps his fiance with training. Namajunas first met Barry at Duke Roufus’s gym, where Namajunas currently trains. The two became engaged in 2014.

Nojus Namajunas, Rose’s brother, also trains in MMA. He made his MMA debut in March 2021.

Aside from MMA, Namajunas also plays piano as she has been practicing since she was five years old. She often shaves her hair to make it easier for her to focus on improving her fighting strategies.

Namajunas was under 10 years old when she started BJJ training. Though she was more into taekwondo at the time, she still made time to improve her grappling skills.

Namajunas was scheduled to compete against ONE Championship elite woman fighter Danielle Kelly in December 2021 at Fury Pro Grappling 3 tournament. Unfortunately, Namajunas tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the fight. Carla Esparza then took Namajunas’s place.

Video Credits: @UFC FIGHT PASS

At the Fury Pro Grappling 6, Namajunas lost to Gillian Robertson, a Canadian MMA fighter, via a rear naked choke in the first round. Namajunas tried hard to get out of the choke but Robertson had set the submission so perfectly that Namajunas had no way to escape it.

Photo Credits: @adcc_official

In the 2023 ADCC Denver Open Trials, Namajunas competed in the women's absolute and under 60 kg weight divisions. She won third place and received a bronze medal.

Namajunas made her MMA and flyweight division (125 lbs) debut at the North American Fight Championship - Relentless on August 7, 2010. Though a teenager at the time, Namajunas managed to defeat her opponent, Melissa Pacheco, in the first round within just two minutes and 51 seconds via TKO punches.

Near the end of 2011, Namajunas began her King of the Cage career. Her first fight was at the King of the Cage - Winter Warriors against Heather Bassett in the flyweight division on December 10, 2011. Namajunas won the fight via unanimous decision. 30-28, 30-27 and 29-28. It was Namajunas’ flyweight bout.

At the King of the Cage - March Mania on March 17, 2012, Namajunas defeated Moriel Charneski via unanimous decision. At the King of the Cage - Trump Card, Namajunas defeated Jen Aniano via TKO head kicks and punches on June 30, 2012. It was a strawweight bout. After three consecutive wins at the King of the Cage, Namajunas got the opportunity to sign a three-fight contract with Invicta FC.

Invicta FC is a women’s mixed martial arts tournament. The owners of the fighting tournament, Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp, felt a dire need to promote MMA that solely focused on female fighters. According to Namajunas, she and the other fighters were treated very well by Invicta FC, stating that “they treat us all like queens”. At Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt, Namajunas submitted Emily Kagan via a rear naked choke and won “Submission of the Night” at her strawweight division debut. Namajunas was excited that she won via submission despite being exhausted in the third round as athletes eventually get tired. But it was Namajunas’ love for grappling and MMA that she got the submission in record time.

On April 5, 2013, at Invicta FC: Penne vs. Waterson, Namajunas submitted Kathina Catron via a flying armbar within the first 12 seconds of the first round and earned “Submission of the Night” for her spectacular victory. On July 13, 2013, at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg, Namajunas lost the fight to Tecia Torres via unanimous decision. The bout lasted for three rounds but Torres earned more points due to her impressive performance.

After three fights, Namajunas’s contract with Invicta FC ended and she moved on to the Ultimate Fighter Championship aka TUF. Namajunas won three consecutive exhibition fights via submission at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned.

During the first fight, Namajunas submitted Alex Chambers via a rear naked choke.The second was conducted on August 6, 2014, the second fight ended with Namajunas submitting Joanne Calderwood via kimura in the second round. On August 14, 2014, at her third fight of the tournament, Namajunas submitted Randa Markos via kimura in the first round.

On December 12, 2014, a bout was organized by The Ultimate Fighter, The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale, for the inaugural UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship. Unfortunately, Namajunas lost the bout to Carla Esparza via a rear naked choke. This fight was Namajunas’s one and only submission loss.

At UFC 192, Namajunas was scheduled to compete against Angela Hill in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Hill is currently ranked 15th in the UFC women’s strawweight rankings. Being a tough competitor, Hill was all the way ready to finish the fight via submission. However, Namajunas submitted Hill via a rear naked choke in the first round.

After Namajunas’s victory at UFC 192 conducted in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, she was awarded a title fight with Paige VanZant at UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant. Namajunas submitted VanZant via a rear naked choke in the fifth round and won the “Performance of the Night” award.

After Namajunas’s first loss to the American MMA fighter, Tecia Torres, she dreamed for the chance at a rematch. On April 16, 2016 in Tampa, Florida, at UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans, Namajunas defeated Torres via unanimous decision.

On April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis, Namajunas submitted Michelle Waterson via her favorite submission rear naked choke in the second round.

At UFC 201, Karolina Kowalkiewicz beat Namajunas via split decision. However, Namajunas won “Fight of the Night”for her striking performance.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk is a Polish MMA fighter, muay thai kick boxer, and former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion. At UFC 217, Namajunas defeated Jędrzejczyk via TKO punches and became the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion for the first time. Namajunas also won “Performance of the Night” honors on her epic win.

At UFC 217, Namajunas won the UFC strawweight champion title from Jędrzejczyk. At UFC 223, Jędrzejczyk fought against Namajunas to try and get her belt back. ,But little did she know that Namajunas was going to keep the belt for a longer time. Namajunas defeated Jędrzejczyk via unanimous decision and defended her championship belt.

She competed against Namajunas two times in the UFC and lost both times. At UFC 217, Namajunas won the fight via TKO punches and at UFC 223, Namajunas won via unanimous decision.

At UFC 237, Namajunas lost her championship belt to Jessica Andrade in the second round via a KO slam. Namajunas still won “Fight of the Night” for her execution of techniques.

On April 24, 2021, Namajunas returned to the Octagon to win her title belt back. Despite her recent controversy with Weili on some political platform, Namajunas fought respectfully with her opponent at all times at UFC 261. She defeated Weili via a KO head kick in the first round and once again became the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.

Namajunas appeared at UFC 268 to defend her title from Weili. She defeated Weili via a split decision and kept her title belt. Though the fight was a tough one and it was hard to determine the winner, Namajunas's striking and grappling skills won out in the end and made her stance strong that resulted in her favor.

Video Credits: @ufcespanol

To defend her championship title, Namajunas competed against Carla Esparza at UFC 274 on May 7, 2022. Namajunas was very charged for her fight as it was her defense title fight. She tried to land punches and jabs on Esparza, but Esparza, who is not a slow competitor, managed to dodge them. Esparza took Namajunas down onto the ground and landed multiple punches to her face. Namajunas used the ring as a support to get out of the hold. As Esparza initiated another takedown, Namajunas quickly stood up and knee-butted Esparza. The fight went on for three rounds until it ended with Esparza as the new UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion. Namajunas lost the bout and her championship belt via a split decision.

Photo Credits: @itn.wwe

Namajunas is scheduled to compete against French MMA fighter, Manon Fiorot, who competes in the UFC flyweight division. Fiorot is ranked number two in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings and number 11 in the UFC women’s pound-for-pound rankings. This fight will be in the flyweight bout, a weight division that Namajunas has never competed in at the UFC.

Upon hearing news of this fight, Namajunas ex-contender Joanne Calderwood, whom Namajunas defeated via kimura was shocked. Calderwood said,

Calderwood believes Namajunas will struggle in the flyweight division based on personal experience fighting tough opponents like Valerie Leourneau. Calderwood also went for the flyweight debut and faced some difficulties with the new weight class but managed to win against Letourneau. Calderwood also believes that Namajunas will have difficulty because Fiorot will likely be aware of Namajunas’s moves.

After Namajunas' defeat at the hands of Esparza, Namajunas decided to level-up the game. The fight was even called “the worst title fight in the history of UFC”. The fight between Namajunas and Fiorot will take place on September 2, 2023 at UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac.

Fiorot is an accomplished UFC fighter who knows her way around other champions. According to Fiorot, Namajunas isn’t ready to compete with her.

Little does Fiorot know that Thug Rose doesn’t back off from her fights and comes all the way prepared to finish her opponents.

Mackenzie Dern is a 3rd-degree BJJ black belt who is making waves in both MMA and BJJ. She is currently ranked number seven in UFC women’s strawweight division rankings. At the UFC Fight Night: Dern Vs. Hill, Dern defeated Angela Hill via unanimous decision, 49-43, 49-44, 49-44. This was the occasion when Dern was promoted to 3rd-degree BJJ black belt by her father and coach Wellington Megaton Dias. After the big victory, Dern said that she was now ready for a title fight. She called out Namajunas for the big fight. The fight would be worth-watching because Dern is famous for her mixture of grappling and striking while Namajunas is known for knockouts.

Dern said, “I think it would be a great fight, it would be a main event, and a good test for both of us”. Dern is all the way ready to prove her worth once again after the epic fight with Hill.

Video Credits: @UFC

Namajunas uses precise strikes while maintaining distance between herself and her opponents. Her fast-paced fighting style has helped keep her away from her opponents’ savage attacks. Namajunas punches her opponents mostly with her right fist. She bends low and uses her whole body when throwing a punch. Shifting her entire mass into her punches helps her effectively knock out her opponents. Known for her fantastic submission game, Namajunas has submitted 5 of her opponents while losing only one bout via submission.

Namajunas has an extensive wrestling, taekwondo and karate record. Having a mixed fighting style gives Namajunas more options to dominate her opponents.

Video Credits: @ufcespanol

At UFC 217, Namajunas competed against Joanna Jędrzejczyk for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship belt for the very first time. Jędrzejczyk landed a leg kick and Namajunas responded with a jab and a low kick. Jędrzejczyk tried a roundhouse kick, but Namajunas managed to dodge and keep herself from falling.

Namajunas landed one jab on Jędrzejczyk’s face and knocked her onto the mat. Namajunas trapped her opponent along the ring and punched her multiple times in the face. Namajunas tagged Jędrzejczyk along the ring but eventually, Jędrzejczyk got free and got away from Namajunas’s deadly punches. Namajunas followed up with one strong punch to the face that laid Jędrzejczyk out on the mat. Namajunas punched her hard on the face. The knockout had such an impact on Jędrzejczyk that she tried to defend herself and landed a single punch on Namajunas. Jędrzejczyk tapped out and admitted defeat. Namajunas defeated Jędrzejczyk via TKO punches and became UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion and won the “Performance of the Night” award on her epic knockout victory.

Video Credits: @ufcespanol

Being a BJJ black belt and experienced in vale tudo, Jessica Andrade proved to be an efficient and quick fighter. At UFC 251, Namajunas and Adrade faced off against each other and the fight was spectacular. Namajunas has been known to adapt to her opponent’s fighting style to better counter them with her own mixed fighting style. With Andrade, Namajunas was even faster with her punches and dodges, skillfully defending herself from Andrade’s strikes. Namajunas’s consecutive double punches forced Andrade to put distance between herself and Namajunas for a few seconds. Andrade then retaliated by pounding on Namajunas, which Namajunas responded with a hard jab to Andrade’s face. Andrade tried to take down Namajunas, but Namajunas’s knee strike forced Andrade to back off.

In the second round, Namajunas dominated with punches to Andrade’s face. At one point, Namajunas jumped towards Andrade, but the latter managed to dodge. This put Namajunas in a tough spot; luckily, she quickly returned to a safe position and escaped Andrade’s hard blows.

In the third round, Andrade punched Namajunas so hard that her nose started to bleed. After a couple of punches, Andrade initiated a single-leg takedown and threw Namajunas on the mat. Luckily, Namajunas defended herself and escaped the hold. In the end, Namajunas won the fight via split decision and was awarded “Fight of the Night.”

Video Credits: @UFC Russia

At UFC 261, Namajunas competed against Zhang Weili for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship belt. UFC 261 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. At the start of the fight, Weili went on the offensive. She landed a low kick on Namajunas, followed by a jab. Namajunas defended herself and landed a jab on Weili’s face. Weili is famous for using her opponents' weight to catch them off guard and land jabs and kicks. Namajunas’s roundhouse kick (head kick) knocked Weili onto the mat. The early head kick and punches gave Namajunas the advantage in the title bout. Namajunas’s victory over Weili  caused a big stir in UFC. Because of her victory, Namajunas won “Fight of the Night” and the “MMA and UFC Upset of the Year” award. This was the second time Namajunas became the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.

When Namajunas was awarded the belt by Dana White, Joe Rogan, the American UFC Color commentator, stepped into the cage and asked how she felt after becoming the UFC Belt Champion. Nanajunas was emotional and, seeing her that way for the very first time, Rogan also became emotional during the interview. In a YouTube video, Rogan called her “champion of the f***king world.” Rogan also mentioned that Namajunas, after winning the UFC title for the first time, said, “We have to be better people. We gotta be nicer to each other.”

Video Credits: @ufcespanol

At UFC 223, Namajunas and Jędrzejczyk had a rematch, with Namajunas prepared to defend her title for the first time. During the fight, Jędrzejczyk’s techniques were fast and difficult to dodge. Jędrzejczyk’s performance was fueled by her frustration at losing her belt to Namajunas and the chance to get her belt back. Jędrzejczyk’s footwork was impeccable, forcing Namajunas to increase her speed. Namajunas went for a front kick that Jędrzejczyk dodged. Then, Namajunas punched Jędrzejczyk that startled her. Jędrzejczyk landed a couple of punches on Namajunas’s face, whereas Namajanas countered with her own punches that caught Jędrzejczyk off guard.

Namajunas eventually took down Jędrzejczyk and kept her from escaping. Namajunas defeated Jędrzejczyk via unanimous decision and managed to defend her championship belt. It was Namajunas punches that led to her victory via unanimous decision. It was the moment when Namajunas took down Jędrzejczyk and didn’t let her escape.Jędrzejczyk thought she had a great moment of punching Namajunas but it was the other way around. That key moment decided Namajunas’ victory.

• Submission of the Year

• Fan Bonus of the Year

• 2 time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion
• 2 successful title defenses
• 3 times Performance of the Night
•  3 times Fight of the Night
• Tied for most finishes in UFC Women’s Strawweight history
• First ever woman in UFC to regain her lost championship belt
• Won from three former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champions - Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade, and Zhang Weili)
• Runner-up for The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned
  • Fight of the Season
  • Performance of the Season

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Photo Credits: @rosenamajunas