Get to know Thug Rose
When the dust settles on the career of Rose Namajunas, fight fans will undoubtedly recognize her as a pioneer female fighter and one of the most beloved combatants the sport has ever known. It didn’t come easy for the fierce competitor known as “Thug Rose.”
Growing up in a tough neighborhood in a single-parent household, Rose was usually left on her own while her mother worked, but she still enrolled in every combat sport she could. She studied taekwondo, karate, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu all before the age of ten, then became an accomplished track runner in high school, where she also joined the wrestling team as a senior. By the time she turned 18, her sights were already set on fighting.
In 2010, Namajunas kicked off her amateur MMA career with a bang, winning via TKO in the first round. She’d rack up three more ammy wins before being invited to the women’s fight promotion Invicta FC in January of 2013, where she’d make her professional debut with a rear-naked choke victory over Emily Kagan. As impressive as that was, her next fight put her on the map with a viral first-round finish – a flying armbar that secured her the win just 12 seconds into the first frame. In her third-ever pro fight, she’d lose a tough decision to future UFC fighter Tecia Torres in what many outlets called the WMMA fight of the year in 2013.
Then she’d be called up to participate in The Ultimate Fighter 20 – a tournament that would gather all of the best strawweight women in the world to build a brand new division in the UFC, with the winner of the show being crowned the first UFC women’s strawweight champion. At just 21 years old and with three pro fights – few people have made such an impression on the MMA world in such a short time.
If fight fans didn’t know Thug Rose before her run on The Ultimate Fighter, they surely knew her after. She went undefeated on the show with three finishes (two kimuras and one rear-naked choke) against future UFC fighters Joanne Calderwood, Alex Chambers, and Randa Markos. In the finale, she lost to Carla Esparza via rear-naked choke in the third round, but Rose, just 22 years old at the time, was only getting started.
2015 Topps UFC Champions Auto
Now near the top of the UFC’s nascent strawweight division and training with Anthony Pettis coach and kickboxing guru Duke Roufus, Rose would rack up three wins in a row – submitting Angela Hill and Paige VanZant, then collecting a decision win over Tecia Torres – who defeated her in her second-ever fight back in Invicta FC. This was sweet revenge for Rose, who was quickly cementing her spot at the division’s top while becoming a fan favorite. However, her road to the title would take another detour when she dropped a split decision to Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201. With a 5-3 record, it looked like Rose might be in the middle of the division’s pack, but those losses only came to title contenders, future champions, and stars. Rose kept her eyes on the prize. A beautiful rear-naked choke win over WMMA pioneer Michelle Waterson would grant her a title shot against champ Joanna Jędrzejczyk, who many thought was unbeatable and the greatest female fighter ever. Namajunas, once again, was being written off.
But Thug Rose had a different plan. Despite constant trash talk and attempts at intimidation by Jędrzejczyk at UFC 217, Rose shocked the world, beating Jędrzejczyk, AKA Joanna Champion, at her own game, clipping her with beautiful punching combinations, eventually forcing the champ to tap out to strikes. This was named the 2017 upset of the year unanimously across sporting outlets. Rose finally was at the top of the mountain. Five months later, at UFC 223, she proved it wasn’t a fluke, beating Joanna again by decision.
2018 Topps Chrome UFC – Notable Knockouts
Unfortunately for Rose, her title reign wasn’t meant to last. She would drop the title to Jessica Andrade after the challenger picked her up and knocked her out with a slam. Rose would rematch Andrade in her next fight, but it wouldn’t be for the title. Regardless, as shown throughout her life and career, Rose would rise to the occasion and pull out the win, avenging another loss. This would lead to another title shot against another seemingly generational and unbeatable talent – China’s Zhang Weili.
Rose would knock her out with a head kick in just over a minute, making Rose the first woman in UFC history to lose and regain her title. Then she’d turn right back around and defend the title against Weili again seven months later and win via split decision. Rose was once again on top of the world, defeating some of the greatest fighters of her generation – being the only woman in the UFC’s strawweight division to defeat three former champions.
2019 Topps Chrome UFC – Octagon of Honor (Pulsar)
But once again, this title reign would be short-lived, as Rose would lose the title seven months later to Carla Esparza, who eeked out a controversial split decision. This would cause Rose to move to the flyweight division, where she would lose a decision to Manon Fiorot, but she’d get right back on the horse and win her first fight in the flyweight division in March of 2024 with a tough decision over Amanda Ribas.
Now, Rose is an elder statesman in the UFC. She’s seen it all, been through it all, and is looking to become the second woman to win a belt in two divisions in UFC history. If anyone can do it, Thug Rose can.
