Daniel Cormier believes Rose Namajunas is “back” after her latest win inside the Octagon.
In September 2023, Namajunas officially left the UFC strawweight division and made her promotional flyweight debut. Unfortunately for ‘Thug Rose,’ she suffered a unanimous decision loss against number three-ranked Manon Fiorot, creating concerns about whether she could become a legitimate contender at 125 pounds.
On Saturday night, the 31-year-old former world champion bounced back in the UFC Vegas 89 main event with a unanimous decision win against Amanda Ribas. Daniel Cormier reacted to Namajunas’ performance by saying this during the latest episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy:
“You didn’t know what was left and a part of that is because she’s been around so long. Even though she’s only 31, we have seen Rose Namajunas since a baby on The Ultimate Fighter. So, it’s easy to talk and think, well, the age might not match the miles because of some of the fights she’s been in, but she looked really good last weekend…It seems like she’s back. Not only is she back, Chael [Sonnen], she said and has her eyes set on someone very, very hot right now in this division.”
Watch the entire episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy below:
Daniel Cormier wasn’t impressed with Rose Namajunas’ post-fight callouts
Rose Namajunas called out three fighters during her post-fight interview at UFC Vegas 89 – Manon Fiorot, Erin Blanchfield, and Maycee Barber. Fiorot and Blanchfield will headline UFC Atlantic City on March 30, while Barber last fought on March 9, extending her winning streak to six by defeating Katlyn Cerminara.
During the previously mentioned podcast, Daniel Cormier revealed he was underwhelmed with Namajunas’ callouts, partially because she lost against Fiorot within the last six months. Cormier had this to say when asked to give ‘Thug Rose’ a grade for her post-fight interview:
“I’ll give her a C [grade on her callout]. I’m not as gracious as you. One because she said the name of the person she lost to in the previous fight. You gotta wait a little bit before you go back to the same person. You gotta go back to the same person after a while or at least find out what happens between Manon and Blanchfield because if Blanchfield wins, there’s no reason for Rose to look back at Manon Fiorot because she’s won her last fight.”
Cormier continued:
“With her name value and recognition, she almost jumps [Fiorot] after winning a fight over Amanda Ribas. So, that’s where my issue was. Secondly, just the uncertainty. She felt like to me that young girl we first saw when she was almost inside of herself because she was kind of like shy. This is Rose Namajunas. You’re the former world champion. You’re one of the greatest fighters in the world. You be up there and you become assertive. I think that is my only knock when I’m grading her on that call out. I don’t hate it.”
Rose Namajunas secured a solid win against a tough opponent in Amanda Ribas. With that said, the MMA community wasn’t overly impressed with her performance, making it unclear how far she will go at flyweight.
Only time will tell if ‘Thug Rose’ can silence the doubters and further her legacy as one of the greatest female fighters of all time.
Watch Namajunas’ post-fight interview at UFC Vegas 89 below:
