Rose Gertrude Namajunas ( Rožė Gertrūda Namajūnaitė (lt.))^[8] (born June 29, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist.^[9] She is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she competes in the women's strawweight division and is the two-time and current UFC Women's Strawweight World Champion.^[10] As of April 26, 2021, Namajunas is #4 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.^[11]

Early life[edit]

Namajunas (Rožė Gertrūda Namajūnaitė (lt.)) ^[12] was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 29, 1992, to Lithuanian parents.^[13] Her parents left Lithuania in September 1991, and Rožė Gertrūda Namajūnaitė was born in June 1992 in America. ^[14] She was named Rose (Lithuanian: Rožė) in honor of her great-grandmother Rožė Gotšalkaitė Namajūnienė, whose husband Juozas was an Independent Lithuania military officer. He enlisted in the Lithuanian military in 1933, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1936. During the Soviet invasion of Lithuania in 1939, he fought in the resistance. After the Soviets occupied the country, Juozas was forced to enlist in the Red Army. Following the German declaration of war on the Soviet Union and the subsequent Soviet retreat from the Baltic states, Juozas left the Red Army and retired to civilian life. When the Soviets re-occupied Lithuania, Juozas was arrested by the NKVD and sent to a prison camp. Her great-grandfather, a former independent Lithuanian officer, was killed by Soviet KGB agents near his home in 1968..^[15] Namajunas regularly visits Lithuania and understands the Lithuanian language, because she communicates in it with her grandparents.^[16]

Namajunas's father Arturas died in 2008, when Rose was 16. Her father became depressed because of the Soviet actions against him in his youth.^[17] .Died of pneumonia in Germany in 2008.^[18] Her mother was a pianist, trained at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre ^[19] Namajunas's grandfather Algimantas Andriukonis was a successful wrestler, and won national championships in Lithuania and competitions in the USSR.^[20] Namajunas started practicing Taekwondo at the age of 5. She earned her poom belt (junior black belt) at age 9. After that, she went on to practice both karate and jiu-jitsu. While in high school, she started training in kickboxing and mixed martial arts with Duke Roufus at Roufusport, and she was also a senior-year wrestler at Milwaukee High School of the Arts.^[21][22]

Mixed martial arts career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Namajunas began competing in MMA as an amateur in 2010. She trained under Greg Nelson at Minnesota Martial Arts Academy.^[23] She racked up a perfect amateur record of 4–0 with 2 wins by TKO and 2 by decision. Both of the finishes came in the first round.^[24]

Invicta Fighting Championship[edit]

She made her professional debut against Emily Kagan at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt on January 5, 2013.^[25] After two back-and-forth rounds, Namajunas was able to secure the victory via submission due to a rear-naked choke in round three. The victory in her pro debut also earned her the Submission of the Night bonus.^[26]

In her second professional appearance, Namajunas faced Kathina Catron at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson on April 5, 2013.^[27][28] She won the fight by submission due to a flying armbar just 12 seconds into the first round. This performance garnered Namajunas her second Invicta Submission of the Night award.^[29]

Namajunas fought fellow undefeated prospect Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg on July 13, 2013.^[30][31] Namajunas lost the fight by unanimous decision.^[32][33]

The Ultimate Fighter[edit]

On December 11, 2013, it was announced that Namajunas was signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) along with 10 other strawweight fighters to compete on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, which would crown the first-ever UFC strawweight champion.^[34]

Namajunas was the fourth pick by coach Gilbert Melendez.^[35] She defeated Alex Chambers by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the preliminary round of the tournament.^[36]

In the quarter-finals, Namajunas faced Joanne Calderwood. She won the fight via kimura in the second round.

In the semi-finals, Namajunas faced Randa Markos. She again won the fight via kimura in the first round.

In the final of the tournament, she fought Carla Esparza on December 12, 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale for the inaugural UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. She lost the one-sided bout via rear-naked choke in the third round.^[37]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[edit]

Despite losing in The Ultimate Fighter finale, Namajunas was awarded two season $25,000 bonus awards for Performance of the Season and Fight of the Season for her bout with Joanne Calderwood.^[38]

Namajunas was expected to face Nina Ansaroff on May 23, 2015, in a preliminary bout at UFC 187.^[39] rior to the fight, Ansaroff missed weight by 4 pounds and was fined 20 percent of her fight purse.^[40] The bout was scrapped entirely a couple hours before the event, as Ansaroff was declared medically unfit to compete due to illness. According to Ansaroff's camp, she contracted the flu the week before, and the weight cut exacerbated the illness, forcing Ansaroff to abandon her weight cut early, and ultimately withdraw from the fight.^[41] Though the fight couldn't take place, Namajunas was paid her full fight purse (show- and win money).^[42]

Namajunas fought Angela Hill on October 3, 2015, at UFC 192.^[43] After some back-and-forth striking exchanges on the feet, Namajunas took Hill down with a trip off a punch. As Hill stood up, Namajunas quickly secured a rear-naked choke, submitting Hill in the first round.^[44]

In a quick turnaround, Namajunas faced streaking prospect Paige VanZant in the main event of UFC Fight Night 80 on December 10, 2015, replacing an injured Joanne Calderwood.^[45] Namajunas dominated VanZant throughout the fight, out-striking her consistently and landing eight takedowns. She attempted three submissions—two armbars and a rear naked choke—before she won the fight midway through the fifth round via submission due to a rear naked choke.^[46] The win also earned Namajunas her first Performance of the Night bonus award.^[47]

On April 16, 2016, Namajunas faced the still-undefeated Tecia Torres at UFC on Fox 19 in a rematch of their 2013 fight at Invicta FC 6. Namajunas won the fight via close but unanimous decision.^[48]

On July 30, 2016, Namajunas fought Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201^[49] in a match regarded as a title eliminator. Kowalkiewicz defeated Namajunas via split decision.^[50] Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night for their performance.^[51]

Namajunas faced Michelle Waterson on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24.^[52] Namajunas dropped Waterson with a head kick, and won by submission due to a rear-naked choke in round 2, marking the 5th submission finish in her career.^[53]

Strawweight champion[edit]

Namajunas faced Strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 4, 2017. She came in as a big underdog against the undefeated champion. However, Namajunas upset the MMA world when she knocked Jędrzejczyk down, once behind the ear and then again with a left hand to the chin. She won the fight by KO in first round to be crowned the new UFC Women's Strawweight Champion.^[54] This win also earned Namajunas her second Performance of the Night bonus award.^[55] This was Namajunas' first knockout victory in her professional career (2 TKO-wins as an amateur). Her victory was immediately declared one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. At the UFC 217 post-fight press conference, Namajunas stated that she intended to use her champion status as a platform to spread awareness of mental illness.^[56]

In the first defense of her title, Namajunas faced Jędrzejczyk in a rematch that took place on April 7, 2018, at UFC 223.^[57] She won the fight by unanimous decision.^[58] Namajunas spent the remainder of the year recovering from a lingering case of spinal stenosis from a C6 vertebral compression fracture, symptoms of which manifested while training with Valentina and Antonina Shevchenko in 2017, and had intensified during training camp for UFC 223.^[59][60]

In her second title defense, Namajunas faced Jéssica Andrade in the main event at UFC 237 on May 11, 2019, in Andrade's home country of Brazil, in what would be Namajunas' first MMA fight outside the United States. Despite dominating the Brazilian throughout the first round and the beginning of the second, she lost the fight by KO via a slam in the second round.^[61][62] This fight earned her the Fight of the Night award.^[63]

Post-reign[edit]

Namajunas was scheduled to face Jéssica Andrade for a rematch on April 18, 2020 at UFC 249.^[64] On April 8, 2020, Namajunas withdrew from the event,^[65] with her manager citing a pair of deaths in the family related to the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason.^[66] Instead the bout was rescheduled and eventually took place on July 12, 2020 at UFC 251.^[67] Namajunas won the fight via split decision.^[68] This fight earned her the Fight of the Night award.^[69]

Second reign as strawweight champion[edit]

Namajunas faced Zhang Weili for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship on April 24, 2021 at UFC 261.^[70] She won the fight by knockout early in the first round after landing a head kick, claiming the UFC Women's Strawweight World Champion for the second time.^[71] She’s the first female fighter to lose and regain UFC Championship belt. The win earned Namajunas a Performance of the Night bonus award.^[72]

Fighting style[edit]

Namajunas utilizes forward movement while pressuring opponents with jabs and high kicks.^[73] She is known for her advanced technical striking and footwork, using a variety of angles and several creative adjustments. During her fight at Invicta FC 6, she directed a series of axe kicks, front kicks, and forward roundhouse kicks to her opponent's head.^[74] After closing the distance, she will sometimes attempt to grapple and execute a submission.^[29][73]

Personal life[edit]

Namajunas is a Christian,^[75] and is an anti-communist.^[76][77] rior to her bout against Chinese fighter Zhang Weili, Namajunas spoke of the history of communist oppression in her ancestral homeland Lithuania and referenced the documentary The Other Dream Team as an inspiration for her. She said the documentary gives a "good idea as to what my family had to go through, the reason I'm in the United States today, the reason that I do mixed martial arts, all of that stuff", and stated it is a reminder that it is "better dead than red".^[78] In describing her background and motivation for fighting, Namajunas stated "I’ve got the Christ consciousness, I’ve got Lithuanian blood and I’ve got the American dream."^[79]

Namajunas is the fiancée and training partner of former Glory and UFC heavyweight Pat Barry.^[80][81][82] Namajunas has played the piano since the age of five.^[83] Namajunas' brother, Nojus, operated a private piano studio. He also is a mixed martial artist, and made his professional debut in March 2021.^[84]

Namajunas formerly had the nickname "The Riveter".^[85] Her current moniker, "Thug Rose", was given by friends when she was young because of her intimidating scowl.^[81]

I got it from my neighborhood friends. When I was little, I was the only white girl, I was smaller than everyone else, and for some reason I just acted harder than everybody else — just fearless, you know? So they kind of dubbed me that because of the intimidating scowl I always had on my face.^[81]

Championships and accomplishments[edit]

• 2018 ESPY Award for Best Fighter (nominee)^[86]
• Kids' Choice Sports 2018 Award for Biggest Powerhouse (nominee)^[87]
• Eighth Annual Real Women Awards - 2017 Woman of the Year^[88]

Mixed martial arts[edit]

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Women's Strawweight Championship (Two time, Current)
    • One successful title defense vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk ^[54][58]
  • Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Paige VanZant, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, and Weili Zhang^[89][55][72]
  • Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jéssica Andrade (x2) ^[90][63][69]
  • Most stoppage wins in UFC Women's Strawweight division (5)^[91]
  • First woman in UFC history to regain a championship title after losing it ^[92]
  • The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned (Runner-Up)
    • TUF 20 Fight of the Season vs. Joanne Calderwood
    • TUF 20 erformance of the Season vs. Joanne Calderwood
• Invicta FC
  • Submission of the Night (Two times) vs. Emily Kagan, Kathina Catron
• Fighter of the Year
  • 2017 MMA Fighter of the Year
    • ESPN,^[93] MMASucka,^[94] MMA Fighting (Top 5: #4),^[95] MMA Mania (Top 5: #4),^[96] RealSport (Top 5: #3)^[97] MMADNA^[98]
  • 2017 UFC Fighter of the Year
    • CBS Sports (Top 5: #3)^[99]
  • 2017 MMA Female Fighter of the Year
    • World MMA Awards,^[100] Yahoo Sports,^[101] MMAjunkie,^[102] Cageside Press,^[103] Combat Press,^[104] SevereMMA,^[105] MMA Today (Top 50: #1),^[106] Awakening Fighters,^[107] romoting Real Women^[88]
• Upset of the Year
  • 2017 MMA Upset of the Year vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk
    • World MMA Awards,^[100] Sports Illustrated,^[108] Sherdog,^[109] MMAjunkie,^[110] MMA Fighting,^[111] MMA Weekly,^[112] Metro.co.uk,^[113] Combat Press,^[114] Fight Booth,^[115] MMASucka,^[94] The MMA Takeover,^[116] SevereMMA,^[105] Bloody Elbow (Top 3: #1)^[117]
  • 2017 UFC Upset of the Year vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk
    • Sport360,^[118] undit Arena,^[119] er Sources^[120]
• Submission of the Year
  • 2013 MMA Submission of the Year vs. Kathina Catron
    • World MMA Awards (nominee),^[121] MMA Weekly,^[122] The MMA Corner^[123]
  • 2013 Women's MMA Submission of the Year vs. Kathina Catron
    • Bleacher Report,^[124] Bloody Elbow,^[125] WMMA Press Association,^[126] Awakening Fighters,^[127] romoting Real Women^[128]
  • 2015 Women's MMA Submission of the Year vs. Paige VanZant
    • Awakening Fighters^[129]
  • 2017 Women's MMA Submission of the Year vs. Michelle Waterson
    • Awakening Fighters (community)^[107]
• Knockout of the Year
  • 2017 Women's MMA Knockout of the Year vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk
    • Awakening Fighters (community),^[107] romoting Real Women^[88]
• Fight of the Year
  • 2013 Women's MMA Fight of the Year vs. Tecia Torres
    • Bleacher Report^[130]
• Fight of the Month
  • 2019 May Fight of the Month vs. Jéssica Andrade
    • MMAJunkie.com^[131]
  • 2020 July Fight of the Month vs. Jéssica Andrade
    • MMAJunkie.com^[132]
• Year's Most Violent
  • 2017 Fight Booth Lady Violence Award^[115]
  • Sherdog.com's 2015 All-Violence Second Team: Strawweight^[133]
  • Sherdog.com's 2017 All-Violence Second Team: Strawweight^[134]

Mixed martial arts record[edit]

^[135]