Former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas will have her second fight at flyweight in the UFC 240 main event on March 30. She takes on eighth-ranked Amanda Ribas.
Namajunas lost her flyweight debut in September dropping an unanimous decision to Manon Fiorot. Not only has Namajunas changed her weight class, she’s cut out caffeine, recommitted to her faith and has worked to become a better person.
“I just been working through a lot of things spiritually. I’ve been changing a lot of things. I’ve been changing a lot of things in my life and I feel like I’m at a point right now where, awe, I feel like I figured some stuff out. It just didn’t go my way but it almost gave me more fuel. I know that I’m 31 now. I don’t have the most time but I feel like I’m right at that spot where it’s like physically and mentally, I’m still feeling really good physically. I feel like now is the time,” Namajunas told The MMA Hour.
“It’s really exciting because one: it’s like I achieved everything that I wanted to achieve at 115 and this is like sort of the last of my to-do list as far as my MMA career. I just want to make some noise at 125, get that belt again. That would be super cool. Wherever God leads me that’s where I’m going to go and just kind of leave it up to him. I know I’ve a certain amount of time and I’m going to make the most of it and I’m going to do whatever I can.”
At flyweight, Namajunas doesn’t have to cut the weight that she did to make the 115-pound weight limit. Looking back, she didn’t feel it was healthy.
“I actually felt really good (in flyweight debut). Now I’m even a little more solid. I had a little more fat on me but it wasn’t a ton or anything. I was definitely a lot leaner at 115 but now I feel like I’m a little bit bigger and more solid too and I’m just more accustomed to moving around at this weight as well because that’s smothering thing. Once you put on that size you have to also be able to have a little bit of endurance and that’s what my goal is because I do feel like even though it’s more work overall fighting at a little bit bigger of a weight class but I feel like over time I’m able to have more endurance because these other girls are a little bit bigger so they’re moving around more weight. Now I’m getting into that balance sweet spot where now I don’t want to get too big because I don’t want to be cutting the same weight I was at 115 because it was getting kind of rough,” she said.
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“Now, as I sit, I can’t even imagine trying to go back down. I’d really have to be starving and running a lot. It doesn’t seem like a healthy thing to do.”
With the Ribas fight on the horizon, Namajunas believes that she’s the better fighter.
“She’s always got some good energy. She comes to fight. She’s going to give it her all every second of the fight. That’s probably the biggest danger that she poses. She’s got some good techniques but overall I just feel like I’m better everywhere. I know I’m better everywhere. I just have to maintain focus and discipline and just stick to the game plan and get her out of there when I can.”
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/rose-namajunas-i-know-im-better-than-amanda-ribas-everywhere
