Rose Namajunas came under heavy fire following her fight against Miranda Maverick at UFC Atlanta, despite securing a unanimous decision victory. The problem was, she failed to meet the fighting community’s expectations regarding the action and entertainment. And when the news of her $500K salary broke through, fans began to lash out. This quickly became a common sentiment in the MMA world, especially because Namajunas received $200K more than Kamaru Usman. And now, an old version of Namajunas is being talked about as one of Invicta FC’s social media posts went viral.
Before the former 2-time UFC champion appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 20, she fought under the banner of Invicta. Therein, she won 2 bouts and faced defeat in 1. But it was her second professional MMA bout at Invicta FC that garnered her the most attention. It was against Kathina Lowe, which ended in just 12 seconds.
‘Thug Rose’ jumped into the action by throwing heavy hands before engaging in a clinch. And with an opening available, Namajunas took control of Lowe’s left arm and threw a flying armbar, leaving Lowe with no option but to tap out. Invicta FC shared the visuals of the 12-second submission and captioned, “Congrats to [Rose Namajunas] over the weekend! Never forget one of the most amazing subs you’ll ever see! #UFCAtlanta.”
This video made the fans reflect back in time. After losing her third battle at Invicta FC, Namajunas appeared on TUF season 20. That’s where she caught Dana White’s attention by defeating 3 opponents in a row. She won 2 bouts by kimura in the first 2 rounds, and 1 via an RNC in the first round. Even though she lost the bout against Carla Esparza in the finale, ‘Thug Rose’ received a UFC contract. She left the fans amazed with her performances against fighters like Zhang Weili, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Jessica Andrade.
But what for fans so irked, despite Namajunas finding moderate success in a new weight class? Well, in her last five flyweight appearances, all her performances were forgettable, unlike her wars with Zhang, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Andrade. And fans have been feeling the same. They somehow feel ‘Thug Rose’ has lost her shine. Let’s see what they had to say.
Fight fans demand the return of old Rose Namajunas after UFC Atlanta
Most of the fans commended the Milwaukee-born flyweight contender’s 12-second victory. However, her current stance in the UFC is what disappointed fans. One fan commented, “That was an awesome submission but her fights have lately been boring.” Another fan added, “Back when rose was an exciting fighter.” One more fan wrote, “we need this rose back. og thug rose would jump for any submission the moment it was available.” It’s worth noting that Namajunas’ last 5 bouts have ended via unanimous decisions. But during her early days, she secured 7 out of 14 wins by submission and KOs.
One fan claimed, “This was the first fight I saw of hers. It made me a fan,” clearly reminiscing about the former 2-time bantamweight champion’s dominance. The moment from Invicta 5’s event was indeed an unforgettable moments for fight fans, as one wrote, “This is one of those fights you never forgot.”
On the other hand, some of the fans decided to criticize the former 2-time flyweight champion’s celebratory dance. One fan commented, “It was beautiful….til she celebrated .” Another fan wrote, “Lmao what was that victory dance Rose.” One more fan claimed, “Lost all her Aura with that celebration .”
The calls continue to mount against ‘Thug Rose’s $500K paycheck and lackluster performance at UFC Atlanta. All we can do as fans is hope for the 32-year-old to find her former aura and give us with some action-packed fight sequences. But do let us know what you felt about her 12-second submission win.
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