Rose Namajunas’ Ethnicity: Parents, Nationality, and All About Ex-UFC Champ’s Personal Life

Former strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas seldom failed to extract the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ with her fleet footwork and precise jabs. With a black belt in taekwondo and karate, and a brown belt in BJJ, Namajunas is indeed a force that is to be reckoned with. There was once a time when ‘Thug’ was considered to be unstoppable. Why you ask? She is the only fighter to have defeated Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk twice in a row.

However, in the sport of fighting, things change pretty fast. Not too long ago, Namajunas turned her two-fight losing streak into a one-fight win streak, with a victory over Amanda Ribas. Holding a record of 13 wins and just 6 losses, she is indeed one of the strongest strawweights in the UFC. Her performance in the Octagon has urged fight fans to wonder about her origins. Today, let’s take a look at her roots.

Is Rose Namajunas Hispanic? What is her ethnicity?

Fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rose Namajus was born and brought up in the United States. However, her lineage is something totally different from her birthplace. Born to Jolita Frank and Arturas on June 29, 1992, Namajunas’s original ethnicity is Lithuanian. Her parents migrated to the United States back in September 1991.

Namajunas belongs to a family of renowned athletes. Her grandfather, Algimantas Andriukonis, was a successful wrestler who won multiple championships back in Lithuania and in the disbanded USSR. Now you know where her wrestling skills come from. Namajunas takes immense pride in her Lithuanian heritage. She frequently visits her native country and knows fluent Lithuanian as well.

Namajunas brings her heritage to the Octagon and seldom fails to impress her countrymen. On top of that, she is set to make them even prouder by striving to become a double champion. And the former strawweight champ has already taken steps to the flyweight division, to achieve that dream of hers.

Being a person of two countries, Namajunas’s childhood must have been a rollercoaster ride. Let us have a look at her early days.

How did Rose Namajunas start fighting?

UFC fighters often have a tough story that forced them to start fighting and something similar happened with ‘Thug’ as well. Being the child of immigrant parents, Namajunas faced tough situations in her life. She came from a neighborhood of violence, abuse, and addiction. Things were not good for her, but everything went downhill when she lost her father at the tender age of 16. Talking to the UFC she said, “Martial arts have been a part of my life since I was five. I thought I’d might as well make a living doing something I love.”

Young Rose found solace in martial arts and became good at it. At the age of 9, Namajunas got a black belt in taekwondo and graduated to karate at the age of 11. Later, her journey in MMA kick-started at a very early age at Roufusport MMA Academy. After years of hard work, the UFC finally signed Namajunas back, and she debuted on December 12, 2014, against Carla Esparza. She lost her bout against Esparza. However, she redeemed herself by defeating many heavyweights in her division and finally clinching the UFC’s strawweight title.

She even snapped her losing streak by defeating Ribas earlier in March 2024. Now, ‘Thug’ is all set to land against Erin Blanchfield at UFC Edmonton. Whether she conquers the Octagon with her fighting prowess or fails to do so is something that only time can tell. Till then, all that the fight fans can do is wait and watch.

What’s your take on her journey? Will she regain her momentum and claim another victory? State your thoughts in the comments below.