Athletes
Rose Namajunas Is Eager To Perform
Former Champ Discusses A Range Of Topics In Candid Chat Ahead Of Return Against Amanda Ribas On Saturday
Rose Namajunas has spent roughly a third of her life competing inside the Octagon.
Think about that for a second.
Saturday night in Las Vegas, the 31-year-old returns to action opposite Amanda Ribas, facing off with the Brazilian in a critical flyweight battle that headlines this weekend’s event at the UFC APEX. As she readies to kick off her 10th full year on the roster, Namajunas enters having made 14 previous trips into the Octagon, half of which featured a championship belt hanging in the balance, and while this will only be her fourth official main event, the bulk of her career has been spent competing in high-stakes, high-profile engagements against the absolute best fighters on the planet.
And she’s still only 31 years old.
“I grew up in the UFC,” offered the two-time strawweight champion, who competes for the second time in the 125-pound weight class this weekend. “That’s crazy — not many people can say that they’ve done that — and I’ve learned so much.”
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While many would speak of the lessons and insights gleaned from a career in the cage in terms of techniques and skills that pertain to their professional pursuits, the spiritual and globally-minded Namajunas always views things from a bigger picture perspective.
Rose Namajunas | Best Moments
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Rose Namajunas | Best Moments
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She’s always been honest that her passion for competing can wax and wane at times, but, at the same time, the Milwaukee native also recognizes that so much of what she’s learned about herself and how she wants to carry herself in this world has come through her career as a professional mixed martial artist.
“Obviously there are times where it sucks, there are times where it beats you up,” began Namajunas when asked about her current relationship to competing and fighting, in general. “But I just really, truly feel like this is God’s way of teaching me a lot of lessons about life; how to be hurt, how to lick your wounds and keep going, not change your personality regardless of what is going on, and just be a loving person, no matter what.
MORE FIGHT NIGHT: Fight-By-Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas
“Also, knowing how to be strong, defend yourself, and try to inspire others; have respect for your opponent, have respect for yourself, believe in yourself,” she continued. “I’m really grateful for every opportunity right now because I don’t know how many more I have left.
“I’m probably on the latter end of my career, rather than the beginning, most likely, so I just know that I’m appreciating every chance that I get to do this again.”
Rose Namajunas Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas
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Rose Namajunas Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas
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There again is an example of not only her candor, but how she looks at things through a different lens than most of her contemporaries.
Most athletes are reticent to acknowledge that, at some point, they’re eventually going to reach the finish line, and even fewer are as quick to acknowledge when they’re reached the back half of things. Most competitors in their early 30s will tell you they’re still in their primes, that the best is yet to come, and greatness is just around the corner, but not Namajunas.
Instead, she’s aware of the finish line on the horizon, excited by the fact that there are different pursuits that pique her interest as she progresses towards the end of her fighting career, while also making it clear that accepting her athletic reality doesn’t mean she’s ready to stop competing quite yet.
Main Event Spotlight: UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas
“Even though I know I probably have less fights ahead of me than behind me, I do also feel like there is so much more after fighting that is ahead of me,” she said. “I know it sounds like kind of a sad statement, but I know there is so much more to life.”
I challenged her assessment that it’s a sad statement, expressing that it felt very true to character for her and, quite honestly, like a refreshing outlook from someone in a profession where fixation on lofty goals, sometimes to the point of delusion, are so commonplace.
“Yeah, but I’ll be sad when it’s over,” she said. “I’ll be sad when I go.”
Although she knows that day is coming, it’s not yet around the corner, and after making her promotional debut in the flyweight division back in September, Namajunas is ready to push forward in the next chapter of her career, with the move up in weight and even the location of this weekend’s event giving her some nostalgic feelings.
MORE "THUG" ROSE: Rose Namajunas Career Highlights | View Namajunas' Athlete Profile
“When I started my career, I fought at ’25 early on because there weren’t ‘15ers anyways,” began Namajunas, who fought at 125 pounds as an amateur and returned to the weight class last year, landing on the wrong side of a unanimous decision verdict in a clash with top contender Manon Fiorot. “It definitely feels like a nice little throwback, some nostalgic feelings. Even fighting at the APEX — that’s a new thing, but it’s kind of like being at the Ultimate Fighter gym again.
“(That fight) taught me a lot,” she said of the clash with Fiorot, who faces Erin Blanchfield next weekend in Atlantic City in a battle between the top contenders in the division. “It taught me that, once again, I still got that determination, no matter what is happening; I’m gonna keep trying. It taught me that with an injury, I can still put anybody down, regardless of their size.
“She didn’t stay down, but I put her down, and I felt like if I had a little more time, I probably would have won that fight. That’s just my own opinion, but it was my responsibility to finish it in three rounds, and I take that away, as well.
“And I learned that,” continued Namajunas, pausing briefly to pivot on the point she was readying to make. “She’s a big ‘25er, so I don’t feel like — I know she was saying that I was too small after, but I feel like that’s a bunch of crap. I think she was just saying stuff and talking.
“I definitely feel like I’m legitimately in the division and not too small for the division.”
This weekend is her chance to prove that to not only herself, but everyone else in the division, as well.
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Ribas has spent the last several years traveling back-and-forth between flyweight and strawweight, and stands as the only athlete currently ranked in the Top 10 in two weight classes in the UFC. She arrives in Las Vegas off a third-round stoppage win over Luana Pinheiro last November, and has a reputation as a tenacious, aggressive competitor that will make you work for everything you want to achieve inside the Octagon.For Namajunas, it’s a dangerous matchup that carries an abundance of upside, and most importantly, an opportunity to get back in the win column and put herself back in the title conversation.
“I want to win. I want redemption. I want to get my hand raised; that is first and foremost,” she said flatly, declaratively. “I want to put on a spectacular performance, and I really want to make a statement because I know there are a bunch of girls — Manon and Erin Blanchfield are right there, Maycee Barber just had a really good performance, as well. The top of the division is really interesting, but I really want to make a statement so that I can put my name in the mix and really get a title shot as soon as possible.
“But, I also just want to perform,” she added. “I want do to my best, and when I do my best, I am the best, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs Namajunas took place on March 23, 2024 live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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