Rose Namajunas Bio
Rose Gertrude Namajunas is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the women’s Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is a former two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion and a notable figure in women’s mixed martial arts. Nicknamed Thug Rose, she is widely respected for her technical striking, footwork, and creative use of angles inside the cage. She trains out of Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and holds the rank of #6 in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings and #13 in the UFC women’s pound-for-pound rankings as of late October 2025.
Early Life and Background
Rose Gertrude Namajunas was born on June 29, 1992, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Lithuanian parents who had moved to the United States in September 1991. Her name honors her great-grandmother Rožė Gotšalkaitė Namajūnienė, whose husband Juozas was a Lithuanian military officer who fought in the resistance during the Soviet invasion of Lithuania in 1939. Her grandfather Algimantas Andriukonis was a successful wrestler who won national championships in Lithuania and competitions in the USSR. Rose’s father, Arturas Namajunas, suffered from schizophrenia, left the family when she was young, and died of pneumonia in Germany in 2008 when she was 16 years old.
Her mother was a pianist who trained at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and worked long hours to support the family. Rose grew up in a tough, predominantly African-American neighborhood in Milwaukee, where she was a witness to violence from a young age. Her neighborhood friends nicknamed her Thug Rose because she was the only white girl among them and was the smallest, yet acted tougher than any of them. She has a brother named Nojus, a mixed martial artist who made his professional debut in March 2021, and Rose herself has played the piano since the age of five.
Path to MMA
Rose started practicing taekwondo at the age of five and earned her poom belt (junior black belt) at age nine. She went on to practice both karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and she holds a black belt in taekwondo and karate, as well as a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. While in high school, she began training in kickboxing and mixed martial arts with Duke Roufus at Roufusport, and she wrestled during her senior year at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, where she was also an accomplished cross-country runner.
She began competing in MMA as an amateur in 2010 under coach Greg Nelson at Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. She posted a perfect amateur record of 4-0, with two wins by TKO and two by decision, with both finishes coming in the first round. Her early martial arts foundation and her wrestling experience in high school shaped the pressure-forward, kick-heavy style that would later define her UFC career.
Rose Namajunas Career
Early Career (2013-2014)
Rose Namajunas made her professional debut on January 5, 2013, against Emily Kagan at Invicta FC 4. After two back-and-forth rounds, she secured the victory via rear-naked choke in the third round, earning the Submission of the Night bonus. Just three months later, at Invicta FC 5 on April 5, 2013, she submitted Kathina Catron with a flying armbar just 12 seconds into the first round, which earned her a second Invicta Submission of the Night award.
On July 13, 2013, she faced fellow undefeated prospect Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 6 and lost by unanimous decision in a learning experience that helped her refine her striking and footwork. On December 11, 2013, it was announced that Namajunas was signed by the UFC along with 10 other strawweight fighters to compete on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, which would crown the first-ever UFC strawweight champion. She was the fourth pick by coach Gilbert Melendez and submitted Alex Chambers in the prelims, Joanne Calderwood in the quarterfinals, and Randa Markos in the semifinals, before losing the final to Carla Esparza via rear-naked choke on December 12, 2014.
UFC Strawweight Breakthrough (2015-2017)
Despite her TUF finale loss, Namajunas was awarded two $25,000 bonus awards for Performance of the Season and Fight of the Season for her bout with Joanne Calderwood. She picked up her first official UFC win on October 3, 2015, at UFC 192, submitting Angela Hill in the first round, and then submitted Paige VanZant in the fifth round of the UFC Fight Night 80 main event on December 10, 2015, earning her first Performance of the Night bonus. On April 16, 2016, she avenged her Invicta loss to Tecia Torres with a unanimous decision win at UFC on Fox 19.
On July 30, 2016, she fought Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 201 in a match regarded as a title eliminator, losing by split decision in a bout that earned both fighters the Fight of the Night award. On April 15, 2017, she submitted Michelle Waterson via rear-naked choke in the second round at UFC on Fox 24, marking the fifth submission finish of her career. On November 4, 2017, at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden, Namajunas shocked the world by knocking out undefeated champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk in the first round to be crowned the new UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, earning another Performance of the Night bonus.
Strawweight Title Era (2018-2022)
In her first title defense on April 7, 2018, at UFC 223, Namajunas defeated Jędrzejczyk by unanimous decision. She then spent the remainder of 2018 recovering from a lingering case of spinal stenosis tied to a C6 vertebral compression fracture. In her second title defense on May 11, 2019, at UFC 237 in Brazil, she lost the belt to Jéssica Andrade by a second-round slam knockout in what was her first MMA fight outside the United States, though she still earned the Fight of the Night award.
After withdrawing from a planned April 18, 2020 rematch with Andrade at UFC 249 due to COVID-19-related family deaths, the pair rescheduled for UFC 251 on July 12, 2020, where Namajunas won the rematch by split decision to reclaim the title, earning another Fight of the Night award. On April 24, 2021, at UFC 261, she knocked out Zhang Weili with a head kick in the first round to claim the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship for the second time, becoming the first female fighter to regain a UFC Championship belt. She defended the title again on November 6, 2021, at UFC 268, winning a split decision over Zhang, before losing the championship to Carla Esparza by split decision at UFC 274 on May 7, 2022.
UFC Flyweight Era (2023-Present)
After her second reign as strawweight champion ended, Namajunas moved up to the UFC’s flyweight division. On September 2, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 226, she lost a unanimous decision to Manon Fiorot in her first bout at 125 pounds. She rebounded on March 23, 2024, in the main event of UFC on ESPN 53, winning a unanimous decision over Amanda Ribas, and followed that up on July 13, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 59, with a unanimous decision win over Tracy Cortez after Maycee Barber withdrew due to health problems.
On November 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 246, Namajunas lost a unanimous decision to Erin Blanchfield in what was later shifted to the co-main event but remained a five-round bout. On June 14, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 69, she got back in the win column with a unanimous decision victory over Miranda Maverick. She is currently scheduled to face former UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso on January 24, 2026, at UFC 324.
Driving Style and Strengths
Namajunas utilizes forward movement while pressuring opponents with jabs and high kicks. She is known for her advanced technical striking and footwork, using a variety of angles and several creative adjustments such as axe kicks, front kicks, and forward roundhouse kicks. After closing the distance, she will sometimes attempt to grapple and execute a submission, making her a well-rounded threat on the feet and on the mat.
Notable Events and Milestones
Her signature moment came at UFC 217 on November 4, 2017, when she knocked out undefeated champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk in the first round to win the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship. She later made history at UFC 261 on April 24, 2021, by knocking out Zhang Weili with a head kick to become the first female fighter to regain a UFC Championship belt. She also submitted Paige VanZant in the fifth round at UFC Fight Night 80 and earned multiple Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses throughout her UFC run.
Rose Namajunas Career Wins
Rose Namajunas has compiled a verified professional mixed martial arts record of 14 wins and 7 losses across 21 total bouts, with 5 wins by decision, 1 by knockout, and 1 by submission. Her UFC résumé includes victories over Paige VanZant, Tecia Torres, Michelle Waterson, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Zhang Weili, Amanda Ribas, Tracy Cortez, and Miranda Maverick, as well as the first UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship win in The Ultimate Fighter 20 finale era.
UFC Strawweight Highlights
Namajunas captured the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship twice, first by knocking out Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 217 on November 4, 2017, and second by knocking out Zhang Weili at UFC 261 on April 24, 2021. She successfully defended the title against Jędrzejczyk at UFC 223 in April 2018 and against Zhang Weili at UFC 268 in November 2021. She also submitted Michelle Waterson at UFC on Fox 24 in April 2017 and won the Fight of the Night for her 2020 rematch with Jéssica Andrade at UFC 251.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside her title runs, Namajunas holds signature wins over Paige VanZant, Tecia Torres, Amanda Ribas, Tracy Cortez, and Miranda Maverick. In her early career, she earned two Invicta FC Submission of the Night bonuses for finishes over Emily Kagan and Kathina Catron. She also competed in submission grappling, winning a bronze medal in the absolute division at the ADCC Denver Open on May 13, 2023.
Rose Namajunas Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Rose Namajunas comes from a Lithuanian-American family with a strong athletic and cultural lineage. Her grandfather Algimantas Andriukonis was a successful wrestler who won national championships in Lithuania and competitions in the USSR. Her father, Arturas Namajunas, suffered from schizophrenia, left the family when Rose was young, and passed away in Germany in 2008. Her mother is a trained pianist from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and her brother Nojus is a mixed martial artist who made his professional debut in March 2021.
Personal Life
Rose Namajunas is the fiancée and training partner of former Glory and UFC heavyweight Pat Barry, and the couple got engaged in 2014. They met at Duke Roufus’ gym, where Barry started training after losing his home to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and where Namajunas began training during high school. Namajunas is a professed Christian, lives in Denver, Colorado, and trains at Roufusport in Milwaukee. A documentary of her life, Thug Rose: Mixed Martial Artist, was released in 2022 and premiered at the Austin Film Festival.
2025 Season Performance
Rose Namajunas’s 2025 season was defined by a return to form in the UFC women’s flyweight division. After closing 2024 with a unanimous decision loss to Erin Blanchfield at UFC Fight Night 246 on November 2, 2024, she rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over Miranda Maverick on June 14, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 69. That win helped stabilize her ranking at #6 in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings and #13 in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings as of late October 2025.
With her training base at Roufusport and her partnership with coach Duke Roufus, Namajunas has continued to refine her technical striking and forward pressure. Looking ahead, she is scheduled to face former UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso on January 24, 2026, at UFC 324, giving her a high-profile opportunity to push back into title contention. A strong performance against Grasso would mark a major statement in her flyweight campaign and reinforce her status as a perennial contender in the division.