Rose Namajunas will not have legendary MMA coach in corner for Amanda Ribas bout at UFC Vegas 89

Rose Namajunas might have found trouble yet again as her longtime coach won't corner her at UFC Vegas 89.

Rose Namajunas will not have legendary MMA coach in corner for Amanda Ribas bout at UFC Vegas 89

Rose Namajunas says Trevor Wittman will not corner her and Pat Barry will once again lead the duty (Via Imago/X)

Rose Namajunas returns this weekend against Amanda Ribas in the main event of UFC Vegas 89. Previously, she lost her fight to the current #3-ranked flyweight, Manon Fiorot. Ahead of the bout, Namajunas made a shocking revelation. Her long-time coach, Trevor Wittman, won’t her corner this weekend.

Trevor Wittman is a well-renowned MMA coach, and Rose Namajunas’ association with him has served the former champion well. However, according to CBS Sports reporter Shakiel Mahjouri, Wittman won’t corner Namajunas in her upcoming bout. Wittman was also absent on her flyweight debut against Manon Fiorot.

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This has spurred controversial speculations among the fight fans. Many blamed Rose Namajunas’ fiance, Pat Barry, who also served as her coach in the absence of Trevor Wittman. These rumors arose even the last time around. As such, the former champion addressed the issue and stated it was due to Wittman’s unavailability. She claimed Wittman was busy with Justin Gaethje’s fight at UFC 291, which clashed dates with her scheduled fight.

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Even now, Justin Gaethje has a fight coming up at UFC 300, and that could be the reason. As such, ‘Thug’ Rose would proceed to fight at UFC Vegas 89 without the legendary coach Trevor Wittman. Nonetheless, this didn’t affect her mentality as she looked forward to clinching her first flyweight victory. Namajunas vs. Amanda Ribas goes down this weekend at the UFC Apex, Las Vegas.

Accomplishments of Rose Namajunas under Trevor Wittman

Trevor Wittman is one of the prominent coaches in the MMA circuit. He is known for his association with Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, and Rose Namajunas. With Wittman’s coaching, Namajunas reached the highest of the highs in MMA. She became a two-time UFC strawweight champion and remains regarded as one of the top ten female fighters in the UFC.

Rose Namajunas and Trevor Wittman
Rose Namajunas and Trevor Wittman (via Reddit/Bloody Elbow)

Rose Namajunas came under the wing of Trevor Wittman through Pat Barry and has since teamed up. As such, Wittman coached ‘Thug Rose right from her UFC debut against Angela Hill. He also served as a wise cornerman for her. With his help, Namajunas became the strawweight champion in 2017 by beating Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Although she lost the title to Jessica Andrade after one defense, Wittman’s gameplan helped her regain it. She won a split decision to avenge her loss to Andrade.

Later, Namajunas defeated Zhang Weili to win the strawweight title once again. She defended the belt one more before losing to Carla Esparza in 2022. ‘Thug Rose’ has since moved up in weight class. Trevor Wittman has yet to feature in her corner since the flyweight move. Only time will tell if Wittman and Namajunas team up again.

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