Rivalries: Rose Namajunas

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Rose Namajunas understands the desperate hunger involved with being a former champion—a unique firsthand perspective that could serve her well in her next assignment.

“Thug Rose” will defend the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight title in a five-round rematch with Weili Zhang in the UFC 268 co-main event this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Namajunas owns an 8-3 mark across 11 appearances inside the Octagon and enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories. Having ended Zhang’s reign atop the 115-pound weight class with a stunning head kick knockout in April, “Thug Rose” returns to the stage to see if lightning can strike twice.

As Namajunas approaches her rematch with the twice-beaten Black Tiger Fight Club star, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape her brief but eventful career to this point:

Carla Esparza

Esparza left nothing to chance, as the Team Oyama product submitted the hyper-aggressive Namajunas with a third-round rear-naked choke to take the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight title in “The Ultimate Fighter 20” Finale headliner on Dec. 12, 2014 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. “Cookie Monster” sealed it 1:26 into Round 3. A competitive first round gave way to sheer dominance from Esparza. The former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder struck for repeated takedowns in the second, advanced to full mount and tore into Namajunas with thudding lefts and rights. “Thug Rose” survived but never seemed to recover. Esparza executed another takedown inside the first 15 seconds of Round 3, moved to the back and locked in the choke for the tapout, forever etching her name into the history books.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz

The unbeaten Kowalkiewicz cemented her place as the No. 1 contender in the women’s strawweight division with a split decision over Namajunas in the UFC 201 co-main event on July 30, 2016 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. All three judges scored it 29-28, Ken Coffey and Jeff Mullen for Kowalkiewicz, Chris Lee for Namajunas. “Thug Rose” countered beautifully in the first round, cutting off the KSW and Invicta veteran with both hands. Kowalkiewicz made the necessary adjustment in the second, lured her counterpart into the clinch and battered her with knees to the body and standing elbows to the head. The work paid dividends, as Namajunas’ movements became slower, her breathing more labored. Kowalkiewicz not surprisingly closed the distance again in Round 3. There, she uncorked more knees to the body, tagged Namajunas with a right uppercut and drove her to the mat, settling in guard. Kowalkiewicz then piled up points with ground-and-pound, avoiding armbar, heel hook and omoplata attempts from the Milwaukee native.

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Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Namajunas turned the mixed martial arts world upside down, as she took care of Jedrzejczyk with punches to capture the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight crown in the first round of their UFC 217 co-feature on Nov. 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Jedrzejczyk bowed out 3:03 into Round 1, suffering her first defeat as a professional in a remarkable upset. Namajunas was measured and confident. She got Jedrzejczyk’s attention early, when she floored the off-balance Pole with an overhand right. Moments later, Namajunas decked the champion with a vicious left hook and pounced with follow-up punches until the job was done. They met again five months later, as “Thug Rose” laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over Jedrzejczyk and retained the 115-pound title in the UFC 223 co-headliner. The two women combined to land 250 significant strikes against each other in the riveting rematch.

Jessica Andrade

Namajunas made her first appearance in more than a year and avenged her May 2019 knockout defeat to Andrade with a split decision in a wildly entertaining UFC 251 strawweight showcase on July 11, 2020 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards: Mark Collett for Andrade, Anders Ohlsson and Vito Paolillo for “Thug Rose.” Namajunas spent the first two rounds peppering the Brazilian powerhouse with crisp punching combinations and lightning-quick jabs, her efforts revolving around stellar head movement, sharp footwork and superior speed. Andrade found another gear in Round 3, where she smashed the Trevor Wittman protégé’s nose with right uppercuts, damaged her left eye with clubbing right hooks and executed a takedown. The bloodied Namajunas kept her composure under considerable duress, withstood the Parana Vale Tudo cornerstone’s advances and chewed up the remaining time on the clock before exiting the cage with her hand raised.