Rose Namajunas News

Chris Taylor - September 2, 2023

Today’s UFC Paris event was co-headlined by a key women’s flyweight matchup between Rose Namajunas and Manon Fiorot. Namajunas (12-6 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since losing the strawweight title to Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in May of 2022. Prior that setback, ‘Thug’ was on a three-fight winning streak, which included back-to-back victories over reigning strawweight queen Zhang Weili.

Chris Taylor - September 2, 2023

We have you covered for all of today’s UFC Paris results, including the co-main event between Rose Namajunas and Manon Fiorot. Namajunas (12-5 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since losing the strawweight title to Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in May of 2022. Prior that setback, ‘Thug’ was on a three-fight winning streak, which included back-to-back victories over reigning strawweight queen Zhang Weili.

Josh Evanoff - August 30, 2023

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has reflected on her loss to Carla Esparza. ‘Thug Rose’ is slated to return to the cage in the co-main event of UFC France this Saturday. There, Rose Namajunas is expected to face Manon Fiorot in her first fight up at flyweight. For the former champion, the fight will be her first in over a year, since her UFC 274 rematch with Carla Esparza.

Susan Cox - August 30, 2023

Rose Namajunas is explaining the approach she would take in a potential fight with friend and training partner, Valentina Shevchenko. UFC Paris will see Rose Namajunas (12-5 MMA) and Manon Fiorot (10-1 MMA) battle it out in the co-main event.

Josh Evanoff - July 31, 2023

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas nearly retired last year. ‘Thug Rose’ has been out of action since her rematch with Carla Esparza last May at UFC 274. The bout took place eight years after their previous contest at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 20. That night in 2014, ‘Cookie Monster’ dominated Rose Namajunas, winning vacant strawweight gold by submission.

Josh Evanoff - July 3, 2023

UFC women’s flyweight contender Manon Fiorot feels confident against Rose Namajunas. ‘The Beast’ has been out of the cage since her clash with Kaitlyn Chookagian last October. There, the French fighter captured a unanimous decision win, moving to 10-1 in the process. While Manon Fiorot was later linked to names such as Erin Blanchfield, she will instead face Rose Namajunas.

Josh Evanoff - June 23, 2023

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will face Manon Fiorot in September. ‘Thug Rose’ has been out of the cage for well over a year, last competing last May. There, Rose Namajunas attempted to make yet another title defense against Carla Esparza. However, the two ended up putting on one of the worst bouts in promotional history at UFC 274.

Fernando Quiles - May 21, 2023

Mackenzie Dern is riding high after her dominating win over Angela Hill, and she’s now targeting Rose Namajunas. Dern promised a more aggressive approach ahead of her UFC Vegas 73 showdown with Hill. Dern delivered as advertised, turning up the heat with her striking, having relentless pressure in the grappling, and actively going for the finish throughout the fight. While Dern couldn’t secure the submission she was hoping for, she did earn a unanimous decision victory to keep her top 10 strawweight ranking safe.

Lewis Simpson - November 7, 2022

Rose Namajunas explained why she bravely decided to address her childhood sexual abuse trauma in her new documentary. Despite showing a ferocious and aggressive side to herself inside the Octagon, it’s no secret that the former strawweight queen is the opposite outside the cage.

Josh Evanoff - November 3, 2022

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is back on the hunt for gold. ‘Thug Rose’ has been out of action since her rematch with Carla Esparza in May. Their first encounter eight years prior was one-sided traffic. Esparza dominated and won by submission to become the first UFC women’s strawweight champion.

Susan Cox - November 3, 2022

Rose Namajunas claims she got what she needed out of the Carla Esparza rematch. Namajunas (11-5 MMA) and Esparza (20-6 MMA) originally met in December of 2014 in the women’s strawweight main event. It was to be Esparza defeating Rose by submission at 1:26 of Round 3. Esparaza became the first strawweight champion in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

Josh Evanoff - October 5, 2022

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is branching out into modeling. ‘Thug Rose’ has been out of action since her fight with Carla Esparza in May. The bout was a rematch of their first encounter at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in 2014. In their first outing, Esparza picked up a third-round submission victory to become strawweight champion.

Susan Cox - August 9, 2022

Rose Namajunas is considering a move up to flyweight and has discussed a potential fight with long time friend Vanentina Shevchenko. Namajunas (11-5 MMA) is coming off a loss against Carla Esparza (19-6 MMA) in May of this year at UFC 274. Prior to the loss, ‘Thug’ had 3 victories in a row.

Harry Kettle - June 9, 2022

Weili Zhang has questioned Rose Namajunas’ performance against Carla Esparza in their UFC 274 title fight last month. If there’s one fighter Weili Zhang knows better than most, it’s Rose Namajunas. Across their two previous encounters, Namajunas was able to get the better of her foe with both a knockout win and a split decision triumph.

Harry Kettle - June 1, 2022

Weili Zhang has given her thoughts after Rose Namajunas offered to help train Joanna Jedrzejczyk for their upcoming rematch. The fantastic series that has taken place over the course of the last five years between these three women serves as one of the hallmarks of the strawweight division in the UFC. Now, at UFC 275 next weekend, another chapter will be written as Weili Zhang prepares to go head to head with Joanna Jedrzejczyk in what promises to be another absolute barnburner in Singapore.

Josh Evanoff - May 13, 2022

Chael Sonnen has given an unpopular opinion. ‘The Bad Guy’ thinks the UFC should book a trilogy fight between Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas. Last Saturday night at UFC 274, fans were witness to arguably the worst title fight in MMA history. Eight years after Esparza and Namajunas had an entertaining fight for the inaugural strawweight title, they had a terrible bout.

Josh Evanoff - May 11, 2022

Pat Barry has touched on Sean Strickland’s recent comments about his relationship with Rose Namajunas. Last month, the UFC middleweight contender went after Barry and Namajunas, among other MMA couples. Strickland alleged that the former UFC heavyweight contender is a groomer. The main reason is that Barry was much older when he met Namajunas, and it’s been alleged that she was a minor when they began dating.

Harry Kettle - May 11, 2022

Joanna Jedrzejczyk has sent a warning to Carla Esparza following the latter’s win over Rose Namajunas at UFC 274. Next month at UFC 275, Joanna Jedrzejczyk will run it back with Zhang Weili as they square off in a number one contender match-up at strawweight. The victor is expected to go on and challenge for the belt later this year, and after UFC 274, we now know that Carla Esparza is the champion they’d be facing.