5 things you should know about ‘Thug Rose’ Namajunas, the kind-hearted UFC fighter who refuses to trash-talk rivals

Rose Namajunas’ pride took a battering when Brazil’s Jéssica Andrade wrested the women’s strawweight title away from her at UFC 237 in Rio in May 2019. However, she gets the chance to atone for that setback during the rematch at UFC 249 on April 18. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the American fighter.

She was nicknamed ‘Thug Rose’ as a child

Unlike many MMA stars who choose a nickname once they begin fighting in The Octagon, ‘Thug Rose’ got her nickname as a youngster. Neighbourhood friends say she looked fiercer than anyone else, probably because she was the only white child around and was smaller than everyone else.

Mental health issues have affected the family

Fellow MMA fighter Joanna Jedrzejczyk publicly trash-talked Namajunas before their fight, calling her mentally unstable on her social media feed. The Milwaukee-born, Denver-based fighter had earlier opened up about her mental health struggles, saying that her father had schizophrenia and was unable to play a role in her life. Namajunas refused to respond to her opponent’s taunts, but she did pummel her Polish rival in their two fights.

She punched her fiancé in the head when they first met

Namajunas’ fiancé Pat Barry says that when they first met, she punched him in the side of the face and then calmly told him that he should have seen the blow coming. She says she doesn’t remember the incident, but won’t deny that it happened. Barry, a former MMA fighter, now acts as her training partner and personal secretary. He takes her phone calls, helps her manage her schedule and makes sure she gets enough water to drink.