Can Thug Rose Save Her Career?

This weekend (Sat. March 23, 2024), Rose Namajunas returns to action at UFC Vegas 89 opposite Amanda Ribas from Las Vegas, Nevada. The former champion enters the bout having lost two straight, setting the stakes high for this main event clash.

Namajunas has to be among the most perplexing fighters on UFC’s roster.

There are currently three real candidates for greatest Strawweight in UFC history: upcoming Hall of Fame inductee Joanna Jedrzejczyk, current champion Zhang Weili and … Namajunas. Given that Namajunas knocked out and decisioned both of the other women on the list in championship fights, that would seem to end the debate immediately, right?

Wrong.

Put Jedrzejczyk or Weili in the cage with Carla Esparza 100 times, and I would be shocked if “Cookie Monster” makes it to the fourth in any of those fights, let alone wins at any point. Namajunas, conversely, managed to lose that match up twice, mostly via questionable decision-making. That was excusable at at 21 years of age in 2014, but her all-time bad championship fight in 2022 versus Esparza was simply baffling.

It’s a loss that Namajunas has never really accepted. She’s acknowledged that it was boring, but has also downplayed criticisms of her performance. Rather than stick around and seek revenge (or just wait for Weili to take the title from Esparza, which happened in quick fashion as was unanimously expected), Namajunas opted to jump a weight class to Flyweight.

It’s an interesting (questionable?) decision from Namajunas. She’s never been a massive Strawweight, admitting the decision is influenced by, “never really enjoying cutting [weight].”

Nobody does!

The problem that comes with jumping a division is Namajunas has struggled with physicality before at Strawweight. Notably, she fatigued heavily from the in-fighting of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, as well as the pressure and body work of Jessica Andrade. Against bigger women, clinch and wrestling situations are going to prove more tiring, which could bring up old problems.

Surprisingly, none of that was really a factor against Manon Fiorot in Namajunas’ Flyweight debut. Fiorot is one of the most athletically gifted women in the division, a strong and durable test. Namajunas broke her finger in the first and still managed to fight to a really close decision, even stunning the French athlete in the second with a punch. She wasn’t really able to land any takedowns against Fiorot, but historically, neither has anybody else. Her conditioning held up fine across 15 minutes at 125 pounds, which is a win in its own right.

Her upcoming fight versus Ribas is a definite crossroads bout for “Thug Rose.” Ribas is also a former Strawweight, so there shouldn’t be a significant edge in size. She’s a step back in competition from Fiorot, yet can hold her own in the Flyweight Top 10. The most notable factor here is that Ribas is eminently hittable. She gets stunned by strikes far more often than most top female fighters, an obvious Achilles’ heel that a boxer the level of Namajunas should be able to capitalize upon.

If Namajunas is victorious, she’s a Top 10 Flyweight and active player in the title mix. The division is being stalled out by The Ultimate Fighter, so there’s time for Namajunas to string some wins together and start building towards a title shot. Maybe she takes on the streaking Maycee Barber next if victorious here? As a relatively major star and former champion, Namajunas is never too far off from a title opportunity.

What if she loses?

That’s when the situation gets a little desperate. Namajunas should be able to stop Ribas, but she also should’ve handled Esparza without much issue. A third consecutive loss and 0-2 start to her Flyweight journey should be taken as an obvious sign that she belongs at 115 pounds.

Finally, there’s the issue of coaching. For the second time in a row, Namajunas will not have longtime coach Trevor Wittman in her corner. Likely, she’ll be more reliant on her husband, Pat Barry, whose corner work has drawn lots and lots of criticism in the past. Maybe — just maybe — another defeat without Wittman’s assistance would also clarify the need for his presence if she’s to remain an elite fighter.

At just 31 years of age, there’s still time for Namajunas to be a champion again. However, it’s equally possible that she’s already achieved her peak.

We might just find out which path her career will take on Saturday.

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