Rose Gertrude Namajunas[7] (born June 29, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist.

[8] Namajunas was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on (1992-06-29)June 29, 1992, to Lithuanian parents who had moved to the United States in September 1991.

[10] Namajunas's grandfather Algimantas Andriukonis was a successful wrestler, and won national championships in Lithuania and competitions in the USSR.

[15] Namajunas grew up in Milwaukee in a tough, predominantly African-American neighborhood, where she was a witness to violence from a young age.

Her neighborhood friends nicknamed her "Thug Rose", due to the fact that she was the only white girl among them and was the smallest, yet acted tougher than any of them.

[16][17] Namajunas has mentioned being a victim of child sexual abuse, while emphasizing that she does not want to speak about specific details.

[23] Namajunas returned to the promotion for the main event of Fury Pro Grappling 6 on December 30, 2022, where she faced fellow UFC veteran Gillian Robertson.

[24] Namajunas also signed up to compete in the women's under 60 kg (130 lb) and absolute division at the ADCC Denver Open on May 13, 2023.

[28] She made her professional debut against Emily Kagan at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt on January 5, 2013.

[30] In her second professional appearance, Namajunas faced Kathina Catron at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson on April 5, 2013.

[33] Namajunas fought fellow undefeated prospect Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg on July 13, 2013.

[46] The bout was scrapped entirely a couple of hours before the event, as Ansaroff was declared medically unfit to compete due to illness.

[50] In a quick turnaround, Namajunas faced streaking prospect Paige VanZant in the main event of UFC Fight Night 80 on December 10, 2015, replacing an injured Joanne Calderwood.

[53] On April 16, 2016, Namajunas faced the undefeated Tecia Torres at UFC on Fox 19 in a rematch of their 2013 fight at Invicta FC 6.

[59] Namajunas faced Strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 4, 2017.

Namajunas, in what was regarded as a huge upset, won by KO in first round to be crowned the new UFC Women's Strawweight Champion.

At the UFC 217 post-fight press conference, Namajunas stated that she intended to use her champion status as a platform to spread awareness of mental illness.

[70] On April 8, 2020, Namajunas withdrew from the event,[71] with her manager citing a pair of deaths in the family related to the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason.

[76] She won the fight by knockout early in the first round after landing a head kick, claiming the UFC Women's Strawweight World Championship for the second time.

[82] Namajunas lost the fight and title via split decision in a bout that was heavily criticized for both fighter's low output.

[94] However, Barber withdrew from the bout, due to what was later revealed to be ongoing health problems, and was replaced by Tracy Cortez.

[104][105] Prior to her first bout against Chinese fighter Zhang Weili, Namajunas spoke of the history of communist oppression in her ancestral homeland Lithuania and mentioned the documentary The Other Dream Team as an inspiration.

[107][108] In a further interview, Namajunas stated that her comments were not directed personally at Zhang, and said it was more about her own "internal battles" as well as some "generational PTSD".

"[110] In describing her background and motivation for fighting, Namajunas stated, "I've got the Christ consciousness, I've got Lithuanian blood and I've got the American dream.

"[111] A documentary of Namajunas' life, Thug Rose: Mixed Martial Artist,[112] was released in 2022, premiering at the Austin Film Festival.