Two-time UFC strawweight champion “Thug” Rose Namajunas is getting tired of the 115-pound division. That’s why she’s making a move up to flyweight, set to debut on September 2 against Manon Fiorot.
Namajunas revealed on The MMA Hour that she considered retirement without a fresh challenge, but saw a bright future in a heavier weight class.
Former UFC Strawweight Champ Rose Namajunas Announces Flyweight Move
“Definitely after the Carla fight [at UFC 274], I think that was—win or lose—I was thinking about doing that anyways. One, my body is changing, I started to mature. Early on in my career I never really cut that much weight up until the last few years.
I think maybe when I fought Michelle Waterson, that was when I actually started to really put on size. Each fight it’s just been a little bit more and more. Even though I got better at cutting, I also felt like, this can’t be healthy.
As much as I got mentally better at it, I think physically, I feel like I’m way stronger now. I also made a little bit of effort to put on a little more size, to actually intentionally get a little bigger and do a little more lifting and stuff and eating.
Weili’s the champ now, so what, I fight her a third time? I don’t know, it’s just not every interesting. I’ve already fought Andrade and this and that and now she’s gone back down. Weili’s the champ, so then I could just beat her again, but I don’t know, to me it’s more than that.
I want something that scares me. I want to face my fears. It’s just always been a part of the plan and yeah, I could keep doing the same old thing, but as soon as this game gets redundant, I can get bored really quick and that’s not good for nobody. So I need to keep it fresh and interesting.”
Namajunas is also excited about her next opponent. “Overall, I just think Manon as an opponent is exciting too. She’s a true martial artist. She’s not just a fighter or an athlete.
She’s all of those things, but I remember watching her, I think she came off of the Contender Series, ‘She’s pretty badass. She has some real striking skills.’
I like girls that can strike. I like girls that are overall MMA well-rounded, which she is, but definitely her karate background and her style and everything, even her little attitude, her whole swagger, that’s something that brings out the competitor in me and I love that.”
