Rose Namajunas is more than comfortable at flyweight.
Although Namajunas (11-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Manon Fiorot (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 226 co-headliner at Accor Arena in Paris, she had no issues standing toe-to-toe with the French fighter.
Namajunas dislocated her pinky finger in the first round, but battled through it for the three rounds. The two-time strawweight champion said she’s unsure what’s next, but insists flyweight is her new home.
“What’s next? Good question. I’m still piecing that together,” Namajunas said in an Instagram video. “I’ve thought about a rematch. I’ve thought about a bunch of different things. But definitely, rematch comes to mind, or I’ll get her eventually because I almost beat her with one hand. So that’s how I feel about that.
“I’m definitely going to stay (at flyweight). I want to put a little more muscle on. I don’t want to go back down (to strawweight) – definitely not. I felt so much bigger not cutting weight.”
Fiorot told MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference that Namajunas is too small for 125 pounds, which didn’t sit well with “Thug Rose.”
“I did see a headline where she says I’m too small, and I didn’t win a round,” Namajunas said. “Well, I disagree with both of those things. I think I dropped your ass, so I’m definitely not too small. I might have had some moments of, like, freaking out because I couldn’t grip my fingers together or I couldn’t make a fist, but definitely not too small.”
Namajunas plans on building herself even more into the flyweight frame, and is confident she can beat Fiorot.
“If I have a little more time, I will definitely put more size on,” Namajunas said. “And that’s what I’m going to concentrate on right now. … If it was a real fight, the fight would have kept going on and I would have eventually, I believe, found a way to win, even with just one hand.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.
