Rose Namajunas may be changing weight classes next time out.
Namajunas is coming off a lackluster decision loss to Carla Esparza to lose her strawweight title at UFC 274. It was a disappointing fight as not much action happened. Since then, there has been no word on Namajunas’ future, but she now is hinting at a change in weight class.
Rose Namajunas Eying Move to Women’s Flyweight
“Win or lose, going into the last fight, I knew I was going to take some time off,” Namajunas told MMA Fighting.
“I knew I was going to at least take the summer off. I’ll say around September, I’ll know exactly what I’ll be doing. I have been training a little bit, but not super consistent. I did have this little shoulder issue that I’ve been trying to rehab, and there was this girl Isis [Verbeek] who just won her Invicta fight that came into town so I got to train with her a little bit, just some little stuff trying to stay active so I’m not on the couch completely.
The thing I do know for a fact — and I don’t know when exactly I might fight again — but I do know that I want to do a grappling match of some sort. I want to really rack up some experience in that department. Also, once I get my other things in order, my life stuff, I’ll be lifting lots of weights, and maybe put on a little more muscle, and just kind of see what happens from there.”
The 2021 resume of @RoseNamajunas 👑 pic.twitter.com/vfrBp6kx5M
— UFC (@ufc) January 7, 2022
Is There a Title Shot for Rose Namajunas at Flyweight?
When asked if her lifting weights and looking to put on more muscle was meaning she would move up, Namajunas didn’t rule that out.
“I don’t know, you can do the math,” Namajunas said on a possible move to flyweight. “I really don’t know, like I said, just one step at a time. The UFC has given me some offers for things and I just need the time to just not think about fighting at all, and then in the fall I’ll kind of lay out everything to see what makes sense.”
If Namajunas does move up to flyweight, she would likely get a top-ranked opponent right away. The promotion fast-track her to a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko.
