Rose Namajunas ready for shot at strawweight title in UFC
Rose Namajunas fights like a triton spider — all long limbs and sharp movements that seem quick enough to walk on water. Her flying armbar lockup in a bout in Kansas City, Mo., last year forced a submission just 12 seconds in.
The Denver mixed-martial artist is moving just as quickly through her career.
Friday, the 22-year-old Namajunas will fight Carla Esparza of Redondo Beach, Calif., for the first women’s strawweight (115 pounds) title in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The championship bout airs live from the Pearl Theater in Las Vegas on Fox Sports 1 at 7 p.m.
“I always wanted to fight in the UFC because it’s the largest stage,” Namajunas said this week from Las Vegas. “I knew it would eventually happen but not this quick. I thought I’d have to open all those doors for a while.”
Namajunas, who is 2-1 as a professional, fought through the UFC’s reality TV show competition, “The Ultimate Fighter,” by winning three bouts, all by submission, during the summer.
It earned her a shot at the strawweight title in the UFC’s second women’s division. Ronda Rousey owns the only other women’s title in UFC, at bantamweight (135 pounds), which she won when it opened in late 2012.
“It never happens too soon,” Namajunas said of her rise. “Any- time I stumble or make a mistake, I learn from it. I’d rather take it on when I’m young. This is not a career you can stay in forever.”
Namajunas, a former high school wrestler in Milwaukee, started training in kickboxing and jiujitsu when she was 16. Last year, she moved to Colorado with her now-fiancé, former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry, to train at Grudge Training Center in Arvada.
She quickly made a name for herself in the Invicta Fighting Championship circuit, including the armbar submission of Kathina Catron last year.
But her break came when the UFC invited her to appear in the first all-female season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Her skills quickly stood out. And, despite a reputation as a striker, she won three bouts by submission.
“I’ve changed a lot as a person,” she said. “I’m a lot more happy having fun with my job. It’s not as serious as some people make it out to be. It doesn’t have to be painful.”
If Namajunas gets by Esparza (10-2) to win the strawweight title, she’ll immediately face a growing field. An international crop of fighters at 115 who didn’t get an invite to TUF are waiting to join the fray.
“I feel moments of nervousness before a fight still. I want to break down and cry sometimes,” Namajunas said. “But most of the time, I feel on fire. I’m on point. I’m looking to own this title for a long time.”