Liftoff for “Thug” Rose

In a card that certainly didn’t lack any breakout performances, undoubtedly, the star of Rose Namajunas shined the brightest, in nowhere other than the “Sunshine State,” with a head kick worth 12lbs of gold and some more, entering the history books by edging her name as the first female fighter in UFC history to reclaim undisputed supremacy.

Although it was Namajunas’s fastest finish in her battle-tested UFC run, the road back to UFC gold was nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster, to say the least.

Following her dominant run on the 20th season of the ultimate fighter, high expectations were placed on the strawweight phenom at an early stage in her career, which might have drained her love for the sport. And although everyone acknowledged that “Thug” Rose was the future of the sport, no one actually knew that they were looking at the baddest woman on the planet, aside from her close circle.

Throughout Rose’s career, a built narrative suggested that sometimes, the pressure might get the best of her. However, history tells otherwise. If anything, the 29-year-old continues to stun the masses in moments where it matters the most.

Dateline, New York, UFC 217, in the most prestigious arena of all, Madison Square Garden, where “Thug” Rose Namajunas stepped up to the former undefeated, undisputed queen, “The Boogywoman,” Joanna Jedrzejckzyk.
The moment was as overwhelming as it gets when it comes to pressure. With that being said, the underdog delivered a knockout for the ages, shaking up the landscape of the sport in one of the most spectacular title wins in the sport’s history.

Not only did Namajunas dethrone the long-reigning champion at the time, but she did it twice, certifying herself as unquestionably, the best in the world. However, in the fight where she lost her title in Brazil, the first round of that contest, Namajunas looked like she was levels above the game as a whole, which left more unanswered questions with how she switched off later in that fight.

Select individuals will ever be able to fathom the mental stress that comes with the fight game. And at the end of the day, the best, most ferocious combat athletes are humans, but people tend to forget that. While we solely witness the outcome in the form of a fight, they’re the ones putting it all on the line, day in and day out. Moreover, people never think about the foggy drive every fighter makes from practice to their home, thinking about what went wrong in that sparring session and whether they could have pushed themselves with that extra repetition.

That lonely road, shared with their conscious, is enough to break the bravest individuals in this world. For Rose’s case, people also tend to forget that she spent almost 4 years facing Joanna and Andrade twice in the span of nearly half a decade. It only fits for her to feel burned out. However, when a new face was standing across from her last Saturday, rejuvenated was how she felt, and her performance proved it.

Not only was a star born last Saturday, but also a young legend collecting another accolade for the history books, with Namajunas holding the most finishes in the history of the Strawweight division, but she also became the first female to ever regain a world title after losing it. And the scariest part about it all, “Thug” Rose isn’t even in her prime, not even close, let that sink in…

The true prime of an athlete is when the mind meets the physical ability, and Rose Namajunas is starting to come into her own as not just a fighter but as a soul. That proposition is going to be for the world to see Namajunas flourish as brighter than ever. And from this point on, it’s liftoff for “Thug” Rose.

Written by: Tarek Alsabbagh, Lightkeeper Promotions