Rose Namajunas’ old look: Why did the strawweight fighter shave her head?

A look into Rose Namajunas' UFC career and her incredible strawweight championship run.

Rose Namajunas’ old look: Why did the strawweight fighter shave her head?

(Image Courtesy - Fox Sports/ MMA Mania)

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas moved up to flyweight after her defeat to Carla Esparza at UFC 274. However, the former champion’s UFC journey has been full of ups and downs. The once long-haired blonde’s transformation into a shaven head savage inside the octagon was fueled by coach, Trevor Wittman.

Since joining the UFC in 2014, Rose Namajunas (13-6) was seen as a scary prospect for the strawweight title. However, her inconsistency as a fighter is what changed the course of her appearance after the fighter decided to shave her head and focus more on her fighting career than on her looks.

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“It is definitely like shedding my past, being psychologically mean to my hair as well as physically, and just ripping it out,” Namajunas revealed the reason behind her cropped look.

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Rose Namajunas later joined Colorado-based champion maker, Trevor Wittman, one of the most accomplished MMA coaches in Northern America who has trained Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, TJ Dillashaw, and George St. Pierre among others. Thug Rose became a 2-time women’s strawweight champion in 2021 after scoring a first-round knockout over Chinese MMA fighter, Zhang Weili at UFC 261: Usman vs Masvidal II.

‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas’ UFC career and the road to Strawweight championship

Thug Rose Namajunas has been fighting in the UFC since 2014 and reached her prime in 2017 after a series of successive wins over Joanna Jędrzejczyk(2x), and Jessica Andrade to put her among top prospects for the strawweight title.

Rose Namajunas knocks out Zhang Weili via a high kick at UFC 261 (Image Courtesy – MMA Junkie/ Twitter)

The former champion was yet to showcase herself at the most elite level when she was scheduled to fight Zhang Weili, the then-strawweight champion from China. During that time, Zhang Weili was undefeated in the UFC and was the first Chinese UFC champion ever.

An underdog in the fight, Rose’s chances were viewed as narrow with the Chinese competitor. But she left fans in shock by dropping Zhang Weili unconscious after landing a vicious front high kick to Weili’s face. Thereby, scoring a knockout and becoming the undisputed UFC women’s strawweight champion at UFC 261 in 2021.

Namajunas defended her title against Zhang Weili in a rematch at UFC 268: Usman vs Covington II. Later, she took on Carla Esparza at UFC 274, resulting in a loss to Esparza via decision.

Rose Namajunas’ journey in the flyweight division

After her loss to Esparza, Namajunas took some time and decided to move up a weight class. The prospect of becoming a 2-weight champion was something she needed to get back into the octagon. Unfortunately, she had a rough start in the division, facing defeat at the hands of Manon Fiorot in September 2023.

Rose Namajunas aims for flyweight title after potentially beating Tracy Cortez
Rose Namajunas aims for flyweight title after potentially beating Tracy Cortez (via X)

However, she bounced right back up with a win against Amanda Ribas in March 2024 in typical Thug fashion. Now, the former champion is set to take on Tracy Cortez in her next fight. She believes a few more wins will set her up for a title shot soon.

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