Home

UFC

‘That’s Thug Rose Right There’ – Rose Namajunas Explains How She Got Her Nickname

Published 04/22/2021, 12:44 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Getty

Rose Namajunas is No.1 in UFC Women’s Strawweight rankings. The former UFC champion is all set to face Weili Zhang at the UFC 261 Co-main event. As ‘Thug Rose’ gets ready for her match against the champion, we take a look at how she got her popular nickname.

Nicknames are very important for MMA fighters as they play a big role in people identifying with the fighters. These names often reflect the personality or their fighting style. For Namajunas, this nickname is something that reflects her personality very well.

While talking about the same, she said, “My ice-cold stare, like staring down Joanna, I developed that long ago. I was never a witty person. I never had like a good comeback for anything, so I just had to beat people’s a** that was making fun of me. Or I had to scare them off. So that’s like where it came from.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

‘Thug Rose’ talked about how it was her neighbor that gave her the nickname, “I had some Jamaican neighbors, her name was Erica Gibbs, and she used to always be like, that’s Thug Rose right there, that’s Thug Rose.”

Nicknames are very important, as not only do they help people connect with the fighter, they are also an essential tool used in the fighter’s promotion. Clearly, Namajunas’s nickname struck a chord with the fans and it became popular all over the world.

What next for Rose Namajunas?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

As Namajunas gets ready to face one of her toughest opponents yet, it would be interesting to see how the former champion does in the fight. ‘Thug Rose’ last competed in the UFC on July 12, 2020, at the UFC 251 event, where she faced and won against Jessica Andrade via a split decision.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Now on the back of that victory, ‘Thug Rose’ will face the incredible Weilie Zhang. This fight is going to be a real challenge for Namajunas as ‘Magnum’ is undefeated in her previous 20 professional MMA fights. In her last fight, Zhang defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk via split decision. That fight was chosen as the MMA fight of the year 2020.

Whether ‘Thug Rose’ can stop Zhang we do not know, but one thing is for sure: fans are in for a great fight.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Paras Pande

562Articles

One take at a time

Paras Pande is a UFC author at EssentiallySports who is pursuing his graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication. An ardent follower of the UFC, he has been covering the sport for 2 years now. Before joining the team at EssentiallySports, Paras gained expertise as an MMA writer whilst working with Sportskeeda.
Show More>