Seven months after losing UFC title, Rose Namajunas gives update on fighting future

Rose Namajunas isn’t done yet.

A former UFC strawweight champion, Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) said she has regained her passion for fighting and won’t retire, according to a recent interview with ESPN.

An emotional Namajunas detailed her motivational struggles before, during, and after her championship loss to Jessica Andrade seven months ago at UFC 237. The turning point came when she visited former coach Greg Nelson in Minnesota.

“I’ll fight again,” Namajunas said. “And you know it’s kind of one of those things where you get a little emotional. But it’s like I lost the passion for martial arts and fighting – mainly for fighting. I found my passion again.

“I went back to Minnesota to see one of my former coaches from earlier on in my amateur career, Greg Nelson. He’s just like a huge inspiration for me.”

As champion, Namajunas said, her career became everything she had hoped it wouldn’t. The pressure of being a champion weighed heavily and the enjoyment dwindled. Over the past few months, Namajunas has realized she doesn’t need a belt to feel comfortable.

“I made it into everything I didn’t want it to be,” Namajunas said. “I didn’t want the belt to define me and all I did was make it define me. That was all that was on my mind every day. Even though it was not even in my own house. It just consumed my every thought. It turned into a shackle and chain rather than just loving fighting.

“Do I want to be the best? Of course. But I don’t need a belt to tell me that I’m the best. I already know. It was like, weird. It was all of my fears and all of the things I didn’t want to happen ended up happening by just fearing it so much.”

Namajunas said she currently has a UFC bout offer on the table, but did not to give any details. Uncertain if she’s going to accept it, Namajunas said she’s aiming for a February or March return to the cage.

In Namajunas’ absence, a new 115-pound champion was crowned. In August, Weili Zhang dethroned Andrade with a swift first-round knockout. Namajunas is indifferent about facing the UFC’s first Chinese champion next.

“Weili looked great and I always want to fight the best,” Namajunas said. “Clearly, she is (the best) right now. But you know? I want to test myself against her. But at the same time, whether that be this next fight or get a win under my belt and go after that? I really have no preference at the moment. It doesn’t matter who I fight, but you should always have your eye on being the best.”

Namajunas also commented on how much fighting time she believes she has left. “Thug Rose” said she didn’t want to be held to a timetable, but predicted she has approximately three years left in her competitive MMA career.

“I definitely have always said I don’t really want to fight in my 30’s, so I have three more years on my clock, ” Namajunas said. “But at the same time, I’m not going to say that for sure. But I’d say I’ll have three more years where I’m interested in this.”