Rose Namajunas on UFC 187 fight cancellation: You don’t think it’ll happen at this level

MMA: UFC 187-Johnson vs Cormier-Weigh Ins

LAS VEGAS – A few hours after she learned her UFC 187 fight had been canceled, Rose Namajunas said she still didn’t “know what I’m feeling.”

After would-be opponent Nina Ansaroff struggled and failed to make weight for their strawweight bout on Friday, the UFC nixed the 120-pound catchweight fight altogether just prior to Saturday’s event time, and Namajunas (2-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was left without a dance partner on one of the year’s biggest cards.

MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn caught up with “The Ultimate Fighter 20? runner-up after the pay-per-view event, which took place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, to discuss the cancellation of her FOX Sports 1-televised prelim.

“Right now, I don’t know what I’m feeling; I’m really confused about the whole thing,” she said. “This has never happened to me. I’ve had people pull out of amateur fights … but this is just another level. You don’t think that at this stage, it would happen, but it still does. I’m just learning how to deal with it.”

Namajunas, who said she hopes for the best for her opponent, whom UFC officials said was sidelined with the flu. Luckily for the 22-year-old “Thug,” the UFC confirmed Namajunas will receive both her show and win money.

Following the bout’s cancellation, Ansaroff issued a statement to apologize and push for a rescheduling of the bout..

“I feel just horrible about this,” Ansaroff stated. “I want to apologize to Rose, the UFC and, of course, to the fans who have really embraced me and looked forward to this fight. If it was up to me, I’d definitely fight. I was willing to fight, of course, with or without the flu, because I’m a fighter. But this is out of my control, and I just hope it’s rescheduled as soon as possible.”

Check out the full conversation above.

And for more on UFC 187, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site

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