Former strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas is all set to face her next opponent Amanda Ribas at the UFC Fight Night on March 23, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. There was once a time when ‘Thug’ was considered to be unstoppable. Why you ask? She is the only fighter to have defeated Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk twice in a row. However, in the sport of fighting, things change pretty fast.

Namajunas is now riding a two-fight losing streak. But these defeats have not stopped the two-time champion from pursuing tough challenges. For now, let us shift our focus from Namajunas’s fighting streaks and look at her roots.

Rose Namajunas comes from an athletic family

Fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rose Namajus was born and brought up in the United States. However, her lineage is something totally different from her birthplace. Born to Jolita Frank and Arturas on June 29, 1992, Namajunas’s original ethnicity is Lithuanian. Her parents migrated to the United States back in September 1991.

Namajunas belongs to a family of renowned athletes. Her grandfather, Algimantas Andriukonis, was a successful wrestler who won multiple championships back in Lithuania and in the disbanded USSR. Now you know where her wrestling skills come from. Namajunas takes immense pride in her Lithuanian heritage. She frequently visits her native country and knows fluent Lithuanian as well. Being a person of two countries, Namajunas’s childhood must have been a rollercoaster ride. Let us have a look at her early days.

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Namajunas did not have an easy childhood

UFC fighters often have a tough story that forced them to start fighting and something similar happened with ‘Thug’ as well. Being the child of immigrant parents, Namajunas faced tough situations in her life. She came from a neighborhood of violence, abuse, and addiction. Things were not good for her, but everything went downhill when she lost her father at the tender age of 16.

Young Rose found solace in martial arts and became really good at it. At the age of 9, Namajunas got a black belt in taekwondo and graduated to karate at the age of 11. Later, her journey in MMA kick-started at a very early age at Roufusport MMA Academy. After years of hard work, the UFC finally signed Namajunas back and she debuted on December 12, 2014, against Carla Esparza.

She lost her bout against Esparza. However, she redeemed herself by defeating many heavyweights in her division and finally clinching the UFC’s strawweight title. Her next fight against Ribas is important for her considering the fact that she is riding a 2 fight-losing streak. What’s your take on her journey? Will she snap her losing streak this weekend? State your thoughts in the comments below.

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