Rose Gertrude Namajunas (born June 29, 1992) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. She currently competes in the women's

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), and is a former two-time

UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

. As of May 13, 2025, she is #7 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings and as of June 10, 2025, she is #12 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Early life and education

Namajunas was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

on , to Lithuanian parents who had moved to the United States in September 1991. She was named Rose () in honor of her great-grandmother Rožė Gotšalkaitė Namajūnienė, whose husband Juozas was an Independent Lithuania military officer. He enlisted in the Lithuanian military in 1933, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1936. During the Soviet invasion of Lithuania in 1939, he fought in the resistance. After the Soviets occupied the country, Juozas was forced to enlist in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. Following the

German declaration of war on the Soviet Union The German declaration of war on the Soviet Union, officially Note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany to the Soviet government from 21 June 1941 (), is a Diplomatic_correspondence#Notes, diplomatic note presented by Nazi Germany, Germa ...

and the subsequent Soviet retreat from the Baltic states, Juozas left the Red Army and retired to civilian life. When the Soviets re-occupied Lithuania, Juozas was arrested by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

and sent to a prison camp. He was killed by Soviet

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

agents near his home in 1968. Namajunas's grandfather Algimantas Andriukonis was a successful wrestler, and won national championships in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

and competitions in the USSR. Namajunas regularly visits Lithuania and communicates in the

Lithuanian language Lithuanian (, ) is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of t ...

with her grandparents. Namajunas's father Arturas, who suffered from schizophrenia, left the family when Rose was still young and died of pneumonia in Germany in 2008, when Rose was 16. Her mother was a pianist, trained at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Namajunas grew up in Milwaukee in a tough, predominantly African-American neighborhood, where she was a witness to violence from a young age. Her mother worked a lot and her brother was only rarely home. Her neighborhood friends nicknamed her "Thug Rose", due to the fact that she was the only white girl among them and was the smallest, yet acted tougher than any of them. Namajunas has mentioned being a victim of

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

, while emphasizing that she does not want to speak about specific details. She graduated from

Milwaukee High School of the Arts Established in 1895, Milwaukee High School of the Arts (MHSA), formerly West Division Sr. High School, is a high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is a part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system. It specializes in preparation f ...

, where she was an accomplished cross-country runner.

Martial arts training

Rose started practicing

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

at the age of 5. She earned her poom belt (junior black belt) at age 9. After that, she went on to practice both

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

and BJJ. While in high school, she started training in kickboxing and mixed martial arts with Duke Roufus at Roufusport, and she was also a senior-year

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

Professional grappling career

Namajunas was scheduled to compete in a grappling match against Danielle Kelly on December 30, 2021, at Fury Pro Grappling 3 but was forced to withdraw from the event at the last minute due to a positive Covid-19 test and was replaced by

Carla Esparza Carla Kristen Esparza (born October 10, 1987) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and wrestler who most recently competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is the fo ...

. Namajunas returned to the promotion for the main event of Fury Pro Grappling 6 on December 30, 2022, where she faced fellow UFC veteran Gillian Robertson. Namajunas lost the bout by rear-naked choke in 65 seconds. Namajunas also signed up to compete in the women's under and absolute division at the ADCC Denver Open on May 13, 2023. She won a bronze medal in the absolute division.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Namajunas began competing in MMA as an amateur in 2010. She trained under Greg Nelson at

Minnesota Martial Arts Academy The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy is a martial arts training center in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. It was founded in 1992 by Greg Nelson, a former NCAA Division 1 wrestler at the University of Minnesota. History The Academy provides training in ...

. She obtained a perfect amateur record of 4–0 with 2 wins by TKO and 2 by decision, with both finishes coming in the first round.

Invicta Fighting Championship

She made her professional debut against Emily Kagan at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt on January 5, 2013. After two back-and-forth rounds, Namajunas was able to secure the victory via submission due to a rear-naked choke in round three. The victory in her pro debut also earned her the ''Submission of the Night'' bonus. In her second professional appearance, Namajunas faced Kathina Catron at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson on April 5, 2013. She won the fight by submission due to a flying armbar just 12 seconds into the first round. This performance garnered Namajunas her second Invicta ''Submission of the Night'' award. Namajunas fought fellow undefeated prospect

Tecia Torres Tecia Moncaio; born August 16, 1989, is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, she is #13 in the UFC women's strawweight r ...

at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg on July 13, 2013. Namajunas lost the fight by unanimous decision.

''The Ultimate Fighter''

On December 11, 2013, it was announced that Namajunas was signed by the

(UFC) along with 10 other strawweight fighters to compete on season 20 of ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'', which would crown the first-ever UFC strawweight champion. Namajunas was the fourth pick by coach

Gilbert Melendez Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightwei ...

. She defeated Alex Chambers by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the preliminary round of the tournament. In the quarter-finals, Namajunas faced Joanne Calderwood. She won the fight via kimura in the second round. In the semi-finals, Namajunas faced Randa Markos. She again won the fight via kimura in the first round. In the final of the tournament, she fought

on December 12, 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale for the inaugural UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. She lost the bout via rear-naked choke in the third round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Despite losing in The Ultimate Fighter finale, Namajunas was awarded two season $25,000 bonus awards for ''Performance of the Season'' and ''Fight of the Season'' for her bout with Joanne Calderwood. Namajunas was expected to face Nina Ansaroff on May 23, 2015, in a preliminary bout at UFC 187. Prior to the fight, Ansaroff missed weight by 4 pounds and was fined 20 percent of her fight purse. The bout was scrapped entirely a couple of hours before the event, as Ansaroff was declared medically unfit to compete due to illness. According to Ansaroff's camp, she contracted the flu the week before, and the weight cut exacerbated the illness, forcing Ansaroff to abandon her weight cut early, and ultimately withdraw from the fight. Though the fight could not take place, Namajunas was paid her full fight purse (show- and win money). Namajunas fought Angela Hill on October 3, 2015, at UFC 192. After some back-and-forth striking exchanges on the feet, Namajunas took Hill down with a trip off a punch. As Hill stood up, Namajunas quickly secured a rear-naked choke, submitting Hill in the first round. In a quick turnaround, Namajunas faced streaking prospect Paige VanZant in the main event of UFC Fight Night 80 on December 10, 2015, replacing an injured Joanne Calderwood. Namajunas won the fight midway through the fifth round via submission due to a rear naked choke. The win also earned Namajunas her first '' Performance of the Night'' bonus award. On April 16, 2016, Namajunas faced the undefeated

at UFC on Fox 19 in a rematch of their 2013 fight at Invicta FC 6. Namajunas won the fight via unanimous decision. On July 30, 2016, Namajunas fought

Karolina Kowalkiewicz Karolina Kowalkiewicz (born October 15, 1985) is a Polish mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former KSW Women's Flyweight Champion. Mixed ma ...

UFC 201 ''UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 30, 2016, at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Background This was the third event that the organization has hosted in Atl ...

in a match regarded as a title eliminator. Kowalkiewicz defeated Namajunas via split decision. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' for their performance. Namajunas faced

Michelle Waterson Michelle Eileen Waterson-Gomez (born January 6, 1986) is an American former mixed martial artist, actress, stuntwoman, and model who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Betwe ...

on April 15, 2017, at

UFC on Fox 24 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on April 15, 2017, at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Background The event was the f ...

. Namajunas won by submission due to a rear-naked choke in round 2, marking the 5th submission finish in her career.

Strawweight champion

Namajunas faced Strawweight champion

Joanna Jędrzejczyk Joanna Jędrzejczyk (, born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist, Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. Jędrzejczyk competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she holds several records and is a forme ...

at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 4, 2017. She came in as a big underdog against the undefeated champion. Namajunas, in what was regarded as a huge upset, won by KO in first round to be crowned the new

. The win also earned Namajunas her second Performance of the Night bonus award. This was Namajunas's first knockout victory in her professional career (2 TKO-wins as an amateur). At the UFC 217 post-fight press conference, Namajunas stated that she intended to use her champion status as a platform to spread awareness of mental illness. In the first defense of her title, Namajunas faced Jędrzejczyk in a rematch that took place on April 7, 2018, at

UFC 223 ''UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Background A UFC Lightweight Championship bout between ...

. She won the fight by unanimous decision. Namajunas spent the remainder of the year recovering from a lingering case of

spinal stenosis Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Symptoms may include pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs. Symptoms are typically gradual in ...

from a C6 vertebral

compression fracture A compression fracture is a collapse of a vertebra. It may be due to trauma or due to a weakening of the vertebra (compare with burst fracture). This weakening is seen in patients with osteoporosis or osteogenesis imperfecta, lytic lesions from ...

, symptoms of which manifested while training with Valentina and

Antonina Shevchenko Antonina Anatolyevna Shevchenko (; born ) is a Kyrgyz and Peruvian retired Muay Thai fighter and mixed martial artist who competed in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the older sister of current U ...

in 2017, and had intensified during training camp for UFC 223. In her second title defense, Namajunas faced Jéssica Andrade in the main event at UFC 237 on May 11, 2019, in Andrade's home country of Brazil, in what would be Namajunas's first MMA fight outside the United States. Namajunas lost the fight by knockout via a slam in the second round. The fight earned her the ''Fight of the Night'' award.

Post-reign

Namajunas was scheduled to face Jéssica Andrade for a rematch on April 18, 2020 at

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

. On April 8, 2020, Namajunas withdrew from the event, with her manager citing a pair of deaths in the family related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

as the reason. Instead the bout was rescheduled and eventually took place on July 12, 2020 at UFC 251. Namajunas won the fight via split decision. This fight earned her the'' Fight of the Night'' award.

Second reign as strawweight champion

Namajunas faced Zhang Weili for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship on April 24, 2021 at

UFC 261 ''UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 24, 2021 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Background The promoti ...

. She won the fight by knockout early in the first round after landing a head kick, claiming the UFC Women's Strawweight World Championship for the second time. Namajunas became the first female fighter to regain a UFC Championship belt. The win earned Namajunas a '' Performance of the Night'' bonus award. The rematch between Namajunas and Zhang for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship took place on November 6, 2021 at UFC 268. After a back and forth bout, Namajunas defended her title, winning the bout via split decision. 14 out of 22 media scores gave it to Namajunas. Namajunas faced

in a rematch for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship on May 7, 2022 at UFC 274. Namajunas lost the fight and title via split decision in a bout that was heavily criticized for both fighter's low output. Despite the uneventful nature of the fight, Namajunas was given the first place

Crypto.com Crypto.com is a cryptocurrency exchange company based in Singapore that offers various financial services, including an app, exchange, and noncustodial DeFi wallet, NFT marketplace, and direct payment service in cryptocurrency. As of June 2023, ...

''"Fan Bonus of the Night"'' award.

Move to flyweight

Namajunas faced

Manon Fiorot Manon Caroline Fiorot (born February 17, 1990) is a French mixed martial artist, currently competing in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of April 2, 2024, she is #2 in the UFC women's flyweight ran ...

on September 2, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 226. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Namajunas faced

Amanda Ribas Amanda Limborco Alcântara Ribas (born August 26, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight and Flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 11, 2025, ...

on March 23, 2024 in the main event, at UFC on ESPN 53. She won the bout by unanimous decision. Namajunas was scheduled to face

Maycee Barber Maycee Kaye Barber (born May 18, 1998) is an American mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 13, 2025, she is #5 in the List of curren ...

on July 13, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 59. However, Barber withdrew from the bout, due to what was later revealed to be ongoing health problems, and was replaced by Tracy Cortez. Namajunas defeated Cortez by unanimous decision. Namajunas faced Erin Blanchfield in the main event on November 2, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 246. The bout was later shifted to the co-main event but remained five rounds. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Namajunas faced

Miranda Maverick Miranda Rachelle Maverick (born July 1, 1997) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She competed in Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division of the Invicta Figh ...

on June 14, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 69. She won the fight by unanimous decision.

Fighting style

Namajunas utilizes forward movement while pressuring opponents with jabs and high kicks. She is known for her advanced technical striking and footwork, using a variety of angles and several creative adjustments. During her fight at Invicta FC 6, she directed a series of axe kicks, front kicks, and forward

roundhouse kick A roundhouse kick (also known as round kick or turning kick) is a kick in which the practitioner lifts the knee while turning the supporting foot and body in a semicircular motion, extending the leg striking with the lower part of the shin and/ ...

s to her opponent's head. After closing the distance, she will sometimes attempt to grapple and execute a submission.

Personal life

Namajunas professes

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, as well as

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

views. Prior to her first bout against Chinese fighter Zhang Weili, Namajunas spoke of the history of communist oppression in her ancestral homeland

and mentioned the documentary ''

The Other Dream Team ''The Other Dream Team'' () is a documentary film directed by Marius A. Markevičius. It covers the inspirational story of the 1992 Lithuania men's national basketball team, Lithuania national basketball team and their journey to the bronze medal ...

'' as an inspiration. She said the documentary gives a "good idea as to what my family had to go through, the reason I'm in the United States today, the reason that I do mixed martial arts, all of that stuff". She said that she viewed her fight with Zhang as symbolizing a fight between communism and freedom, saying that "Weili is red" and "represents ommunism, relating it to her family's history under the former

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

regime in Lithuania, and stating that it is " better dead than red". In a further interview, Namajunas stated that her comments were not directed personally at Zhang, and said it was more about her own "internal battles" as well as some " generational PTSD". Zhang later said she ignored Namajunas's comments, stating "I believe as an athlete you have to focus on yourself." In describing her background and motivation for fighting, Namajunas stated, "I've got the Christ consciousness, I've got Lithuanian blood and I've got the American dream." A documentary of Namajunas' life, Thug Rose: Mixed Martial Artist, was released in 2022, premiering at the

Austin Film Festival Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers' creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the c ...

Family

Namajunas is the fiancée and training partner of former Glory and UFC heavyweight Pat Barry. Namajunas and Barry met at Duke Roufus' gym, where Barry started training after losing his home to

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

in 2005, while Namajunas started training there during high school. Barry says he fell in love with Namajunas the first time he saw her. In a December 2014 interview, Barry said that he and Namajunas had been dating "for almost five years now", while Namajunas felt like it was "two or three years". The couple got engaged in 2014. Namajunas has a brother named Nojus, who once operated a private piano studio. Namajunas herself has played the piano since the age of five. Nojus also is a mixed martial artist, and made his professional debut in March 2021.

Championships and accomplishments

*Lithuanian American National Hall of Fame - Class of 2019 *

ESPY Award The ESPY Awards (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, and often referred to as the ESPYs) is an annual American awards show produced by ESPN since 1993, recognizing individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-r ...

nominee (

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

for Best Fighter and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

for Best MMA Fighter) * Kids' Choice Sports 2018 Award for Biggest Powerhouse (nominee) *Eighth Annual Real Women Awards - 2017 Woman of the Year

Mixed martial arts

** UFC Women's Strawweight Championship (Two times; Former) ***Two successful title defenses (overall) **** One successful title defense (first reign) **** One successful title defense (second reign) *** Third most title fight wins in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (4) ** Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Paige VanZant,

1, and Zhang Weili ** Fight of the Night (Three times) vs.

and Jéssica Andrade (x2) ***Third most Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (6) **Tied (

Amanda Lemos Amanda Oliveira de Lemos (born May 22, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of April 15, 2025, she is #4 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings, an ...

Mackenzie Dern Mackenzie Lynne Dern (born March 24, 1993) is an American and Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner currently competing in the women's Strawweight (MMA), Strawweight division of the U ...

) for second most finishes in UFC Women's Strawweight division history (5) **First woman in UFC history to regain a championship title after losing it ** Holds victories over three former UFC Women's Strawweight Champions -

, Jéssica Andrade, and Zhang Weili ** Latest finish in a UFC Women's Strawweight division bout (2:25 at R5) ** The Ultimate Fighter 20 (Runner-Up) *** TUF 20 Fight of the Season vs. Joanne Calderwood *** TUF 20 Performance of the Season vs. Joanne Calderwood **UFC Honors Awards *** 2021: President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee & Fan's Choice Knockout of the Year Nominee **UFC.com Awards *** 2017: Upset of the Year & Ranked #2 Fighter of the Year *** 2020: Ranked #7 Fight of the Year *** 2021: Ranked #4 Fighter of the Year & #4 Knockout of the Year *

Invicta FC Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is current ...

**Submission of the Night (Two times) vs. Emily Kagan, Kathina Catron *

**''Fan Bonus of the Night'' *Fighter of the Year **2017 MMA Fighter of the Year ***

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, MMASucka,

MMA Fighting ''MMA Fighting'' is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Founded in 2001, the site is notable for its breaking news coverage, podcast series, and ''The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani''. Overview ''MMAFighting.com'' ...

(Top 5: #4), MMA Mania (Top 5: #4), RealSport (Top 5: #3) MMADNA **2017 UFC Fighter of the Year ***

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...

(Top 5: #3) **2017 MMA Female Fighter of the Year ***

World MMA Awards The World MMA Awards are awards presented by ''Fighters Only'' magazine to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of mixed martial arts. Winners are presented with the ''Fighters Only silver statuette''. The World MMA Awards are divided ...

Yahoo Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...

MMAjunkie MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and has been owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine, ''ESPN The ...

, Cageside Press, Combat Press, SevereMMA, MMA Today (Top 50: #1), Awakening Fighters, Promoting Real Women **2021 MMA Female Fighter of the Year ***

(July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021), Cageside Press, Combat Press **2021 Women's MMA MVP ***

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

*Upset of the Year **2017 MMA Upset of the Year vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk ***

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

, MMAjunkie, MMA Fighting, MMA Weekly, Metro.co.uk, Combat Press, Fight Booth, MMASucka, The MMA Takeover, SevereMMA, Bloody Elbow (Top 3: #1) **2017 UFC Upset of the Year vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk ***Sport360, Pundit Arena, Per Sources *Submission of the Year **2013 MMA Submission of the Year vs. Kathina Catron ***

(nominee), MMA Weekly, The MMA Corner **2013 Women's MMA Submission of the Year vs. Kathina Catron ***

Bleacher Report ''Bleacher Report'' (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sports and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. ''Bleacher Report'' was acquired by Time Warner's Turner B ...

, Bloody Elbow, WMMA Press Association, Awakening Fighters, Promoting Real Women **2015 Women's MMA Submission of the Year vs. Paige VanZant ***Awakening Fighters **2017 Women's MMA Submission of the Year vs. Michelle Waterson ***Awakening Fighters (community) *Knockout of the Year **2017 Women's MMA Knockout of the Year vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk ***Awakening Fighters (community), Promoting Real Women *Fight of the Year **2013 Women's MMA Fight of the Year vs. Tecia Torres ***Bleacher Report *Fight of the Month ** 2019 May Fight of the Month vs. Jéssica Andrade *** MMAJunkie.com ** 2020 July Fight of the Month vs. Jéssica Andrade *** MMAJunkie.com *Year's Most Violent **2017 Fight Booth Lady Violence Award **Sherdog.com's 2015 All-Violence Second Team: Strawweight **Sherdog.com's 2017 All-Violence Second Team: Strawweight

Pay-per-view bouts

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 14–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Usman vs. Buckley , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–7 , Erin Blanchfield , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 13–6 , Tracy Cortez , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC 274 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Zhang Weili , Decision (split) , UFC 268 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Zhang Weili , KO (head kick) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Jéssica Andrade , Decision (split) , UFC 251 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 , Jéssica Andrade , KO (slam) , UFC 237 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:58 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC 217 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:47 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Paige VanZant , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 2:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Angela Hill , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 192 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 ,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align="center" , 2–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned Finale , , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 1:26 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align="center" , 2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

Invicta FC 6 This is a list of events that Invicta Fighting Championships have held since their inaugural event, Invicta FC 1: Coenen vs. Ruyssen. The promotion has held 66 events as of April 2025. Invicta FC 62: Lehner vs. Rubin Invicta FC 62: Lehner vs. R ...

, , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 2–0 , Kathina Catron , Submission (flying armbar) , Invicta FC 5 , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 0:12 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align="center" , 1–0 , Emily Kagan , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

Invicta FC 4 This is a list of events that Invicta Fighting Championships have held since their inaugural event, Invicta FC 1: Coenen vs. Ruyssen. The promotion has held 66 events as of April 2025. Invicta FC 62: Lehner vs. Rubin Invicta FC 62: Lehner vs. R ...

, , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 3:44 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Randa Markos , Submission (kimura) , rowspan=3, The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned ,
( airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 , rowspan=3,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Joanne Calderwood , Submission (kimura) ,
( airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:06 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Alex Chambers , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,
( airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;" , 4–0 , Jen Aniano , TKO (head kick and punches) , KOTC: Trump Card , , style="text-align:center;" , 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 0:33 , Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin , , - , Win , style="text-align:center;" , 3–0 , Moriel Charneski , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC: March Mania , , style="text-align:center;" , 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 3:00 ,

Walker, Minnesota Walker is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, Cass County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 966 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cass County. Walker is part of the Brainerd, Minnesota, Brainerd B ...

, , - , Win , style="text-align:center;" , 2–0 , Heather Bassett , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC: Winter Warriors , , style="text-align:center;" , 3 , style="text-align:center;" , 3:00 ,

, , - , Win , style="text-align:center;" , 1–0 , Melissa Pacheco , TKO (punches) , North American Fight Championship: Relentless , , style="text-align:center;" , 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 2:51 ,

West Allis, Wisconsin West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Wis ...

Submission grappling record

References

External links

Rose Namajunas Awakening Profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Namajunas, Rose 1992 births Living people Strawweight mixed martial artists Martial artists from Milwaukee American anti-communists American Christians American people of Lithuanian descent American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American female mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Minnesota Mixed martial artists from Wisconsin Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American female taekwondo practitioners American female karateka Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters 21st-century American sportswomen