Following a loss to Manon Fiorot in her flyweight debut, former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is undeterred in her pursuit of a future at flyweight, despite fighting with a dislocated finger, and firmly rejects return to the strawweight division.
Rose Namajunas made her debut in the flyweight division against Manon Fiorot at UFC Paris. Unfortunately, Namajunas found herself at a disadvantage from the early stages of the fight, when she dislocated her pinky finger in the first round. The injury severely limited her ability to grip or make a fist, hampering her performance for the remainder of the match. Despite this, the former UFC strawweight champion highlighted her determination to not let her debut defeat discourage her from future flyweight bouts.
Namajunas took the loss in stride, even saying it motivated her to continue fighting at flyweight. Recalling the injury during an Instagram live session, she openly spoke about the fear she experienced at the moment, which stopped her from trying to reset her dislocated finger. Namajunas also said she expected a recovery period of at least a month from the injury, even though it feels like it’s healing faster, but she doesn’t want to rush the process. The initial x-ray showed no fractures but a dislocated finger which gave her problems throughout the fight.
Despite her adversity, Namajunas bravely fought on for the full 15 minutes, even making it difficult for the judges despite suffering a unanimous decision loss. After the fight, Fiorot suggested that Namajunas was too small to compete at flyweight and should return to fighting at 115 pounds instead, sparking some discontent from Namajunas. Namajunas disagreed with Fiorot’s comments and insisted that she will continue to compete at flyweight. She also argued against the notion that she was too small for the flyweight division, stating that the claim was untrue and questioning why Fiorot would run away from someone too small.
Namajunas was emphatic about her intentions to stay at flyweight, stating that she was a two-time UFC champion and that the weight cut necessary to return to strawweight was just too difficult. She expressed her desire to continue building more muscle for future flyweight battles. Moreover, Namajunas was quick to defend her coaching staff and refuted any speculations about Trevor Wittman’s absence at UFC Paris. While no timeline for her return was set, it appears that Namajunas has no intention of sitting idle for long, especially considering her recent losses.