Rose Namajunas has fought in many UFC title fights, but none would match the chance to compete for gold in her ancestral home.
“Thug Rose” picked up her second straight win at 125 pounds Saturday in the main event of UFC Denver, showing off the skills that made her a two-time strawweight champion as she won a convincing decision over Tracy Cortez. It was the first defeat for Cortez inside the octagon and further proof that Namajunas is a two-division threat.
Speaking to the ESPN crew after the show, Namajunas outlined her dream scenario for how she’d want her flyweight title shot to be booked.
“I had this vision, I want to fight in Lithuania one day,” Namajunas said, referring to her parents’ home country. “Bring the UFC to Lithuania, and I would love to rematch Manon [Fiorot] or anybody for the belt, whatever. That’s my dream come true, but anything that the UFC has in mind, I’m cool with as well.”
Asked how close she feels she is to a title shot, Namajunas answered, “I’m ready whenever.”
Namajunas also spoke to reporters at the evening’s post-fight press conference where she was asked about participating in the first-ever women’s “BMF” title fight. She mentioned the possibility herself during the in-cage interview following Saturday’s win, later remarking that it was more of a gag than anything.
“I don’t know, I was just joking actually,” Namajunas said. “But I know Joanna [Jedrzejczyk] says she would come back for a women’s BMF, so that would just be for fun. I love her. I don’t know, I think I was just kind of joking there. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Namajunas and Jedrzejczyk previously fought twice, with Namajunas winning both championship encounters. Jedrzejczyk retired in 2022 and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2024.
There is an active fighter with whom Namajunas also had a memorable two-fight series with, former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Andrade knocked Namajunas out with a vicious slam in their first meeting, then Namajunas earned a close split decision win in their rematch.
Namajunas sees Andrade as a potential BMF candidate too, though her focus is still on becoming an undisputed champion in a second weight class.
“That’s the one thing, is I would fight her maybe for another belt, and you saying that it’s like, ‘eh,’” Namajunas said. “But I want the real belt, so that’s interesting.”
