Rose Namajunas is set to take on Amanda Ribas in her 2nd fight in the women’s flyweight division. Namajunas, the former strawweight champion, will be looking to redeem herself after her loss in her debut in the new weight class. She faced Manon Fiorot at UFC Fight Night 226 in 2023 and lost the bout via a unanimous decision.

The loss was her second consecutive setback in the UFC as she had also faced defeat against Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in 2022. While her long-time coach, Trevor Wittman, was present at the Esparza fight, his absence was noted by the fans during the clash against Fiorot. 

Trevor Wittman had a Justin Gaethje obligation

In a recent update ahead of her upcoming clash against Amada Ribas at UFC Vegas 89, Rose Namajunas revealed that Trevor Wittman will not be in her corner for this fight, yet again. As reported by Shakiel Majhouri, “Rose Namajunas tells me Trevor Wittman will NOT be in her corner for #UFCVegas89 on Saturday. Wittman wasn’t in her corner for her flyweight debut either.” When Majhouri asked Namajunas why he wouldn’t be present and was “… Is it again circumstantial with Justin?” she said, “I’ll address it after the fight.”

Earlier when Rose Namajunas took on Manon Fiorot at the UFC Fight Night 226 event in Paris in 2023, many expected the former strawweight champion to make a bold statement in her debut in the new weight class. However, Fiorot prevailed by securing a unanimous decision over 3 rounds. Taking to Instagram, Namajunas explained the reason why her renowned coach, Trevor Wittman, was absent from her corner in the fight.

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While many fans online had speculated that his absence was due to Pat Barry and his role in Namajunas’s camp, she clarified, “Everybody wants to sh*t on Pat and just makes assumptions because that’s the way things are no matter what, people are just going to assume that he’s the reason why (Wittman) wasn’t in my corner. It has nothing to do with Pat.”

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She also stated that the absence was due to Wittman having other obligations like training Justin Gaethje. Namajunas further explained that the Fiorot fight offer coincided with Gaethje’s training camp, and she didn’t want to disrupt his preparation for the “BMF” title fight against Dustin Poirier.

A look at Rose Namajunas and Pat Barry’s relationship

According to reports online, Pat Barry will be handling the duties in Namajunas’s corner for the fight against Amanda Ribas. Namajunas, a former two-time UFC strawweight champion, has been in a long-term relationship with Barry who is also her long-time coach and a former UFC fighter himself.

Throughout Namajunas’ MMA career, Barry has been a steadfast supporter, often cornering her during fights. The couple also got engaged in 2014 but their relationship’s precise timeline remains ambiguous. In a past interview on the MMA Hour, Barry had slammed the negative perception about their relationship due to the perceived age difference between the pair. He stated, “That’s where everyone is getting this sh*t from, a botched interview. That’s where everyone is getting all that from because someone decided to write it that way.”

Earlier even Namajunas had cleared the air about her coach’s relationship. She said, “… I think our relationships are very you know, we’re very close people and that’s nobody’s business. You know what I mean? And so everybody makes it their business… But, I understand that people are wondering. And obviously, I love Trevor… When I got offered this fight, just so happened to be in the middle of his training camp… So i took it upon myself to stay back…”

As Namajunas gets ready to step into the Octagon to redeem her losses, fans will be waiting to see if the absence of Trevor Wittman will lead to another setback in the former champion’s attempt to conquer another weight class. Or if Pat Barry’s coaching will lead her to securing a much-needed victory. 

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