From the outside looking in, it might seem like everything changed for Rose Namajunas in 2017. But from her perspective, the long-term goal remains the same even after winning championship gold in the world’s largest MMA promotion.
Namajunas defeated the previously insurmountable Joanna Jedrzejczyk by first-round TKO at UFC 217 last November to become the UFC strawweight champion, and she used much of her post-fight speech to preach a message of positivity. In the moment, winning the title almost seemed secondary to “Thug Rose”.
On Tuesday, Namajunas appeared on The MMA Hour where she was named the show’s Female Fighter of the Year, and she again used her promo time to encourage others to be better people.