Joanna Jedrzejczyk Calls Rose Namajunas 'Mentally Unstable,' Rose Responds
Joanna Jedrzejczyk Calls Rose Namajunas 'Mentally Unstable,' Rose Responds
UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk questions Rose Namajunas' mental stability, and the challenger responds.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk might not get the same attention as Conor McGregor for her mental warfare, but the UFC women's strawweight champion is just as savage with her attacks.
Take, for instance, Jedrzejcyzk aiming at opponent Rose Namajunas on Wednesday during a UFC 217 media conference call.
As Namajunas explained how she will become champion Nov. 4 in New York, Jedrzejczyk quickly responded by attacking her mental state ahead of their five-round fight.
"Listen, you didn’t want to do media, you didn't want to do extra media — how are you going to be a champion and deal with all the things?" Jedrzejczyk said to Namajunas. "You know what, you are not strong mentally.
"You are mentally unstable and you are broken already and I will break you in the fight."
Namajunas didn't take the bait to directly respond to Jedrzejczyk, instead commenting on how martial arts has helped her deal with certain issues in her life. It's a practice she would recommend to anyone.
"I think there's a lot of mental instability in this whole country, and I think that's a great reason to fight," Namajunas said. "I think the world would be a better place if we all just did martial arts, and it saved my life, so I'm super grateful for it.
"I'm super grateful for this experience and this opportunity."
Not one to be deterred, Jedrzejczyk took one more swipe at her opponent while closing out her diatribe by shutting down Namajunas' hopes and dreams of becoming UFC champion when they meet at UFC 217.
"This country's been amazing to me," Jedrzejczyk said. "I think that you have some personal problems, and I will show you what's your problem, OK? You're never going to be a champion."
Later in the call, Namajunas admitted that she preferred not to get into a back-and-forth verbal exchange with Jedrzejczyk while also pointing out the struggles her entire family has faced with mental illness.
"For me, it's not something that's taken lightly. My family has been torn apart," Namajunas said. "My dad died and he wasn't in my life because he had schizophrenia, and it's something my entire family has been fighting against since I can remember. This fight means a lot to me and it's not just about the belt.
"It's more than that and I just want to inspire people to fu*king do whatever the fu*k you want to do. Do what makes you happy and be a good a person and you can overcome anything."