Rose Namajunas is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the Women’s Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of November 4, 2017, she is the UFC Strawweight Champion.
Rose Namajunas started practicing Taekwondo at the age of 5 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She earned her junior black belt or poom belt when she was only 9 years old. She continued studying martial arts, training in both karate and jiu-jitsu. When she was 16 and in high school, she began training in kickboxing and mixed martial arts with Duke Roufus at Roufusport in Milwaukee, and she was on the wrestling team her senior year at Milwaukee High School of the Arts.
In 2010 Rose Namajunas began her amateur career competing in the North American Fight Championship – Relentless winning her first amateur fight. She then went on to compete in King of the Cage, winning all 3 fights she fought.
In January 2013 she began fighting at the Invicta Fighting Championships. She had a perfect amateur record of 4-0 with 2 wins by TKO and 2 wins by decision. Both of the wins were won in the first round of those fights. In 2013 Rose made her professional debut against Emily Kagan at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt which she one via submission due to a rear-naked choke in the third round. She had two more fights with Invicta wining the first against at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson against Jessica Penne by submission due to a flying armbar just 12 seconds into the first round and losing the second at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg against Tecia Torres by unanimous decision.
On December 11, 2013 Rose Namajunas was signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship to compete with 10 other strawweight fighters on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter which was to crown the first-ever UFC strawweight champion. Chosen by Gilbert Melendez, she won the preliminary, quarter-finals and semi-finals.
On December 12, 2014 Rose began fighting for the UFC. Fighting in 6 different bouts, she on her first three fights, lost one and won the last two fights.
