The Obscure Decline of ‘Thug Rose’

Rose Namajunas (left) in her previous fight against Manon Fiorot (right) (via Sports Illustrated)

Former two-time UFC Strawweight Champion, Rose Namajunas has not performed as her championship self for quite some time now.

Since Namajunas suffered a loss in her title bout with Carla Esparza, she has not looked even remotely the same as she did in her prime. Not only was the bout a losing effort for Namajunas, who was the incumbent champion, but was coming off of two dominant performances against the current UFC Strawweight Champion, Zhang Weili.

‘Thug Rose,’ to be clear, was the underdog in their first matchup, as many thought Zhang’s physicality and marauding style would overwhelm Namajunas. As the fight began, there was a noticeable hesitation for both fighters to close the distance. Then in an instant it was all over. Namajunas landed a picture perfect lead leg high kick that knocked Zhang out in the very first round, which won her the UFC Strawweight Title for the second time. In their second bout, it was far closer, but Namajunas was able to get the nod via split decision with surprisingly dominant moments on the ground and landing consistently on the feet.

Many believed that Namajunas was poised to run the strawweight division for the foreseeable future, as she had just defeated her biggest test twice and in different fashions. When she was initially set to defend her title against Carla Esparza, it was not the first time they had faced each other. Esparza previously got the win against Namajunas at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale, where she won via rear naked choke in round three. The fight that proceeded was viewed as one of the most uneventful, boring, and disgraceful title fights in UFC history. Fans can be heard booing throughout the agonizing five round bout that saw just about nothing happen.

Despite this performance, Namajunas’ husband and coach, Pat Barry, continued to praise Namajunas for “following the game plan” which must have been to wait for Esparza to blitz in. Barry doubled down on The MMA Hour, in an interview that was meant for Namajunas, but instead, she sat out of frame in the background.

She then made the move to flyweight, where she took on the number one contender, Manon Fiorot. It was evident that she did not have the same power as she did at strawweight, and ended up losing via unanimous decision. At this point, the buzz surrounding the former strawweight queen was completely gone, and her position as a women’s mixed martial arts icon had faded dramatically.

Although she still has one of the biggest names in women’s mixed martial arts in general, the prestige her name once held has been greatly diminished. Namajunas is scheduled to fight this Saturday against division mainstay, Amanda Ribas, and this could be a golden opportunity for Namajunas to gain some momentum, something she has not had since 2021.