Rose Namajunas won't lose sleep if she never ends up facing Maycee Barber after their fizzled UFC on ESPN 59 headliner.
Rose Namajunas won’t lose sleep if she never ends up facing Maycee Barber after their fizzled UFC on ESPN 59“>UFC on ESPN 59 headliner.
Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was originally scheduled to fight fellow women’s flyweight contender Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at Ball Arena in Denver (ESPN, ESPN+), but lingering health issues forced her to withdraw less than three weeks out.
Barber was replaced by Tracy Cortez (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in the five-round bout, and although it’s an adjustment in styles, it’s nothing Namajunas said she can’t handle.
“It’s not night and day – basically my approach is the same as far as what I’m going to do,” Namajunas told MMA Junkie Radio. “There was a slight adjustment period and a psychological switch.”
With her focus now solely on Cortez, 30, it’s not much of a concern to Namajunas, 32, whether she ends up sharing the octagon with Barber down the line.
If Namajunas, No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, can get past No. 9-ranked Cortez, she said she thinks she will be on the trajectory toward a title shot in the division.
The primary goal for Namajunas, a former two-time UFC strawweight champion, is to add a second divisional title to her resume. If Barber is part of that path then so be it, but “Thug Rose” won’t be chasing the matchup.
“I have no idea (if we’ll ever fight),” Namajunas said. “As soon as she pulled out of the fight it was like, ‘All right, I guess I’ve got to stop thinking about her.’ I don’t know. If it does, it does. If it doesn’t – I don’t really care.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
