UFC strawweight Rose Namajunas’ camp has responded to recent claims made by UFC President Dana White regarding her future. Chiefly, White spoke to BT Sport and claimed that ‘Thug Rose’ was not interested to chase championships inside the organization. This claim was bolstered by the fact that Namajunas had openly spoken out about the insurmountable pressures she faced while holding the belt.
“What I’m hearing is Rose does not want a title shot. Rose does not want to fight for a title. I don’t think she did [like the pressure of being champion]. She doesn’t wanna fight for a title so we’ll see how that whole thing plays out.”
However, just a few hours removed from White’s comments, Rose Namajunas’ fiance and trainer Pat Barry has refuted this claim. Per Ariel Helwani, Barry explained how ‘Thug Rose’ had never actually said she wasn’t keen to fight for a title.
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I asked Rose Namajunas’ coach/fiancé Pat Barry about this.
His response:
“That is absolutely not true. We absolutely want the title fight.
Who would turn down a title fight? We just dont want to air this out publicly. If there was some confusion they can call us to clear it up." https://t.co/qoxmzLGyxk— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 16, 2020
Rose Namajunas: An overview
When thinking about exciting names in the UFC’s women’s weight division, Rose Namajunas will certainly come to mind. Ever since she captured the 115-pound belt from Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217 by KO, her stock has continued to rise. Moreover, she’s also defended her belt against the former Polish champion in an immediate rematch to solidify her spot.
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The key takeaway from Rose’s game comes from the fact that her striking is as fluid as anyone in MMA. She’s showcased her metal on numerous occasions and is a proven commodity in the striking realm. Additionally, she’s no slouch on the ground and is adept and locking in submissions in tight spaces. Her versatility in several facets of the fight game has led fans to believe that she has another championship run.
The 9-4 fighter recently bounced back from her title fight loss to Jessica Andrade and is now on track towards the strap again. Given the fact that her camp clearly wants a title fight, it’s just a matter of time before the fight is made. Dana White is a huge fan of Namajunas’ style and he’ll be looking to put her back on the marquee.