Rose Namajunas admits she wasn't ready to be a UFC champion in her fight against Carla Esparza following "The Ultimate Fighter."

When Rose Namajunas finished season 20 of the reality show, UFC President Dana White deemed her the next Ronda Rousey.

It was tough to disagree with his comparisons. Namajunas stormed through the competition with three consecutive submission wins en-route to facing Esparza in a fight to crown the first ever UFC women's strawweight champion.

Unfortunately, Namajunas' eye-popping run ended with a dramatic thud when she fell to Esparza by third-round rear-naked choke. Her dream of becoming one of the youngest champions in UFC history was finished.

Nearly three years later, Namajunas will compete for that same title again when she faces Joanna Jedrzejczyk Saturday, Nov. 4, at UFC 217. While it might sound strange, Namajunas doesn't regret the way her previous title fight turned out. Instead of dwelling on the defeat, she says there was no way she was actually ready to be champion back then. 

"I was just a baby in the biggest kind of moment, not just for myself, but for any female fighter/athlete. I was about to be the youngest champion at that time and obviously it didn't go that way. You're talking Jon Jones status in under 10 fights [in my] MMA career. It was just a lot," Namajunas told FloCombat. 

"I'm just grateful for that experience. I'm grateful that I didn't win that fight and that I didn't become champion because I was not going to be ready for that."

Since that loss to Esparza in 2014, Namajunas has gone 4-1 in the UFC, with her only loss coming by way of split decision against former title contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz. In her four wins, Namajunas has been dominant, as she's finished three of her opponents inside the distance, including submission victories against Michelle Waterson and Paige VanZant. 

A major factor that's played into Namajunas' recent success comes from the team she's assembled around her. That, however, wasn't the kind of support system she had when fighting for the title three years ago.

It took that kind of loss for Namajunas to be broken down so she could begin to build once again. 

"I'm definitely glad that I didn’t win back then because our team [has] all become such a better team together and as individuals," Namajunas said. "Not just in MMA and coaching and fighting but just as individuals ourselves. There's a lot that's happened since then and we've grown so much and learned a lot."

As she gets ready for the showdown with Jedrzejczyk Saturday night, Namajunas truly feels ready for this moment -- something she couldn't have said honestly three years ago.

With time comes experience, and with experience comes knowledge, and now as a 25-year old woman with 12 fights under her belt (nine professional and three on the reality show) Namajunas can't wait to become champion. 

"I'm 25 years old. I've finally gotten a place to call home, not just to train, but to have a place to feel safe and comfortable. I have a team that I feel is solid," Namajunas said. "It's definitely a great contrast, the position I'm in right now, but not only that but my environment around me -- the reasons why I fight. 

"Those are becoming more and more clear everyday. I have to remind myself why I do this and the more true to those values that I stick, the more strong I can be."