Rose Namajunas: A Star Turn On Her Own Terms
Rose Namajunas: A Star Turn On Her Own Terms
UFC strawweight contender Rose Namajunas is on the brink of title contention after impressive showing at UFC on Fox 24.
Rose Namajunas is on the brink of bigger things on the UFC stage, and she's doing so on her own terms. The importance of doing so are lessons learned both in and out of the spotlight.
The Wisconsin native was quickly ushered to the forefront of a promising women's strawweight division when the promotion used the twentieth season of The Ultimate Fighter to showcase the promising talent coming to the UFC's newest division at the time. Namajunas star power surged with impressive performances inside the cage, and earning a spot in the tournament finals had the scrappy grappler toeing the line to much larger exposure.
Nevertheless, Namajunas would lose that night against Carla Esparza, and a career set for warp speed slowed significantly. And from the way things looked on Saturday night in Kansas City, Namajunas' path back to title contention happened on the correct trajectory.
Namajunas' success coming into UFC on Fox 24 had been built largely on her grappling prowess, but it was her striking that made all the difference on Saturday night. The Trevor Wittman-trained fighter blistered noted standup specialist Michelle Waterson with crisp punches and a huge head kick that leveled the former Invicta champion in the second round.
While there were flashes of improvement shown in her bout with Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201 back in July, it was beast unleashed in full in Kansas City.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/UFCONFOX/status/853422456932974593" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
"We've been slowly adding it in there," Namajunas told Megan Olivi in regard to the kick that flattened Waterson. "After I lost to Carla [Esparza] back at whatever, we went back to the drawing board and started building up my jab, my cross and my hook. We started building that base and slowly we've been adding kicks because my right high kick has always landed in practice. It was just a matter of time before I really had the chance to put it together in a fight.
Waterson came into the bout the much more experienced fighter and equally poised to be a much bigger star in the aftermath if successful. Despite the tremendous amount of mutual respect shown between the two, Namajunas simply wasn't having it.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/ufc/status/853631964414320640" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
The killer instinct she'd show in abundance on the ground was also visible in the striking realm which shows a corner of sorts has been turned. Namajunas stalked and battered Waterson at every turn until sinking in the rear-naked choke that brought the victory front and center.
Namajunas' performance at UFC on Fox 24 was her most complete--and vicious--to date, and certainly signals to a transition into a different type of competitor going forward.
"I've definitely matured a lot as an individual," Namajunas said. "I'm way more present in the moment and aware of my surroundings and not just going on autopilot. Listening to my coaches, knowing what they are saying and being able to implement it."
Immediately following her victory Namajunas wasted zero time calling for the next shot at the 115-pound title, and that seems to be a fitting next step in several regards.
The women's strawweight crown has long been worn by Polish wrecking machine Joanna Jedrzejczyk who brutalized the aforementioned Esparza to take the belt in her first attempt to defend after defeating Namajunas.
Apr 15, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Rose Namajunas (Red Gloves) fights Michelle Waterson (Blue Gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
"Joanna Champion" has reigned strong since claiming gold back in 2015, but has a stern task ahead of her in Jessica Andrade at UFC 211 on May 13. Namajunas made it clear she's down to scrap with the winner later in 2017, and the striking improvements and general tenacity shown against Waterson go a long way to making either opponent something fans can get behind.
Jedrzejczyk and Andrade are both ultra-aggressive fighters in all aspects, and Namajunas' evolution has brought her to a place where her natural inclinations are on par with what she can do when the cage door closes. Simply put: Namajunas is down for whatever and believes the strawweight crown is within her grasp.
"I think I match up really well with either of those ladies," she said. "They are both incredible fighters so whichever one I'd be really happy to face.
"There's no need to get too specific right this second, but I changed all my e-mail and computer passwords to 'And New 2017,' so that's what I have in mind, just that general goal," Namajunas said later at the post-fight press conference.
And while bright lights and a second run at stardom appear to be rapidly approaching, Namajunas isn't bending to any type of pressure this go around. She's learned a lot since her time on TUF 20, both as a woman and a fighter on the sport's biggest stage, but it's her applications of that education which have made the difference.
Namajunas is competing and branding herself on her own terms, and that's the way she likes it. She's also been gracious enough to share her personal journey with her fans through her "Thug Diaries" series on YouTube.
Although her fighting life comes with difficult training sessions and crazy nights under the bright lights, Namajunas is learning how to make it all work while having something that resembles normalcy in her world.
"You put all this energy into training and just focusing on fighting," Namajunas told FloCombat back in January. "And then there are all the interviews to do and things like that. Being part of the UFC is definitely cool because it's such a huge platform, but you have to use it to benefit yourself. If you just keep your head down and training and fighting is all you do and nothing is done to put yourself out there, there's no way it's going to create something for the rest of your life beyond fighting.
"It's a short window, and you have to take advantage of it while you can. But it's definitely a strange balance. You put all your time and effort into training and then you want to go home and just relax and heal up, but it's like, 'Nope....what else can I do to further this thing and put myself out there?' It's definitely been a learning experience."
What she didn't know then she certainly knows now, and it has her on the brink of making good on all that potential.
Namajunas has let the public know she's gunning for that crown, and after the ups and downs of the MMA circus, the best chapters could very well be written soon.
The Wisconsin native was quickly ushered to the forefront of a promising women's strawweight division when the promotion used the twentieth season of The Ultimate Fighter to showcase the promising talent coming to the UFC's newest division at the time. Namajunas star power surged with impressive performances inside the cage, and earning a spot in the tournament finals had the scrappy grappler toeing the line to much larger exposure.
Nevertheless, Namajunas would lose that night against Carla Esparza, and a career set for warp speed slowed significantly. And from the way things looked on Saturday night in Kansas City, Namajunas' path back to title contention happened on the correct trajectory.
Namajunas' success coming into UFC on Fox 24 had been built largely on her grappling prowess, but it was her striking that made all the difference on Saturday night. The Trevor Wittman-trained fighter blistered noted standup specialist Michelle Waterson with crisp punches and a huge head kick that leveled the former Invicta champion in the second round.
While there were flashes of improvement shown in her bout with Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201 back in July, it was beast unleashed in full in Kansas City.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/UFCONFOX/status/853422456932974593" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
"We've been slowly adding it in there," Namajunas told Megan Olivi in regard to the kick that flattened Waterson. "After I lost to Carla [Esparza] back at whatever, we went back to the drawing board and started building up my jab, my cross and my hook. We started building that base and slowly we've been adding kicks because my right high kick has always landed in practice. It was just a matter of time before I really had the chance to put it together in a fight.
Waterson came into the bout the much more experienced fighter and equally poised to be a much bigger star in the aftermath if successful. Despite the tremendous amount of mutual respect shown between the two, Namajunas simply wasn't having it.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/ufc/status/853631964414320640" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
The killer instinct she'd show in abundance on the ground was also visible in the striking realm which shows a corner of sorts has been turned. Namajunas stalked and battered Waterson at every turn until sinking in the rear-naked choke that brought the victory front and center.
Namajunas' performance at UFC on Fox 24 was her most complete--and vicious--to date, and certainly signals to a transition into a different type of competitor going forward.
"I've definitely matured a lot as an individual," Namajunas said. "I'm way more present in the moment and aware of my surroundings and not just going on autopilot. Listening to my coaches, knowing what they are saying and being able to implement it."
Immediately following her victory Namajunas wasted zero time calling for the next shot at the 115-pound title, and that seems to be a fitting next step in several regards.
The women's strawweight crown has long been worn by Polish wrecking machine Joanna Jedrzejczyk who brutalized the aforementioned Esparza to take the belt in her first attempt to defend after defeating Namajunas.
Apr 15, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Rose Namajunas (Red Gloves) fights Michelle Waterson (Blue Gloves) during UFC Fight Night at the Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
"Joanna Champion" has reigned strong since claiming gold back in 2015, but has a stern task ahead of her in Jessica Andrade at UFC 211 on May 13. Namajunas made it clear she's down to scrap with the winner later in 2017, and the striking improvements and general tenacity shown against Waterson go a long way to making either opponent something fans can get behind.
Jedrzejczyk and Andrade are both ultra-aggressive fighters in all aspects, and Namajunas' evolution has brought her to a place where her natural inclinations are on par with what she can do when the cage door closes. Simply put: Namajunas is down for whatever and believes the strawweight crown is within her grasp.
"I think I match up really well with either of those ladies," she said. "They are both incredible fighters so whichever one I'd be really happy to face.
"There's no need to get too specific right this second, but I changed all my e-mail and computer passwords to 'And New 2017,' so that's what I have in mind, just that general goal," Namajunas said later at the post-fight press conference.
And while bright lights and a second run at stardom appear to be rapidly approaching, Namajunas isn't bending to any type of pressure this go around. She's learned a lot since her time on TUF 20, both as a woman and a fighter on the sport's biggest stage, but it's her applications of that education which have made the difference.
Namajunas is competing and branding herself on her own terms, and that's the way she likes it. She's also been gracious enough to share her personal journey with her fans through her "Thug Diaries" series on YouTube.
Although her fighting life comes with difficult training sessions and crazy nights under the bright lights, Namajunas is learning how to make it all work while having something that resembles normalcy in her world.
"You put all this energy into training and just focusing on fighting," Namajunas told FloCombat back in January. "And then there are all the interviews to do and things like that. Being part of the UFC is definitely cool because it's such a huge platform, but you have to use it to benefit yourself. If you just keep your head down and training and fighting is all you do and nothing is done to put yourself out there, there's no way it's going to create something for the rest of your life beyond fighting.
"It's a short window, and you have to take advantage of it while you can. But it's definitely a strange balance. You put all your time and effort into training and then you want to go home and just relax and heal up, but it's like, 'Nope....what else can I do to further this thing and put myself out there?' It's definitely been a learning experience."
What she didn't know then she certainly knows now, and it has her on the brink of making good on all that potential.
Namajunas has let the public know she's gunning for that crown, and after the ups and downs of the MMA circus, the best chapters could very well be written soon.