Rose Namajunas (31, USA), a two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion, is an athlete who overcame her unfortunate childhood through Taekwondo.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, he was the only white person in his neighborhood and was bullied and sexually abused as a child.
His father left home after suffering from schizophrenia, and he still suffers from trauma because of this past.
Namajunas said in an interview with Yonhap News on the 1st that he was who he is today thanks to the Taekwondo gym he attended as a child.
He confessed, “It really helped me overcome the childhood trauma I experienced at home and in my neighborhood. To be honest, Taekwondo saved my life.”
Namajunas (4th from the left) revisited ‘Joe Budokan’ where he learned Taekwondo as a child
[Capture from Namajunas’ Instagram. Resale and DB prohibited]
Namajunas, who was called a ‘thug’ as a child for acting rough to protect himself and uses ‘Thug’ as his ring name even after coming to the UFC, said, “The Korean instructor continued to emphasize the importance of self-discipline and character development.” “I recited the Taekwondo training tenets every day. In hindsight, I realized that it nurtured my mind and helped me achieve harmony between my body, mind, and soul,” he added.
Cho’s Martial Arts, which Namajunas attended as a child, still operates several studios near Milwaukee.
There, as a child, Namajunas got through the hellish times by repeatedly reciting his training motto: ‘I will cultivate a positive attitude and not do anything that will harm my mental growth and physical health.’
For Namajunas, Taekwondo developed not only mental but also physical strength.
Namajunas having a snowball fight with Zhang Weili (right)
The kick shown when she defeated Zhang Weili (China) by KO in 1 minute and 18 seconds in the first round in the 2021 UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship was a Taekwondo kick.
At the time, the match between Namajunas and Jang Wei-li was famous for its heated off-court nerves.
At a time when the conflict between the United States and China was in full swing, Namajunas defined Zhang Wei-li as a ‘player representing the communist camp’ and fueled his will to win.
Namajunas, who is of Lithuanian descent, has a family history in which her great-grandfather was executed for serving as a member of the Lithuanian independence army against the Soviet army.메이저사이트
The Namajunas family immigrated to the United States to escape persecution in the Soviet Union.
Because of this, Namajunas became a player who revealed her strong anti-communist tendencies.
What symbolizes him is his short, almost shaved hair.
Namajunas carrying the championship belt
Namajunas, who shaved her head in 2015, saying, “Mixed martial arts (MMA) is not a beauty contest, but a fighting sport,” has established herself as an athlete who shows off the charm of a female warrior in the UFC.
“Maybe someday I’ll grow my hair back,” Namajunas said with a laugh. “Maybe I’ll cut it again.”
Namajunas, who became the UFC champion for the first time by defeating Joanna Jedrzejczyk (Poland) in the women’s strawweight division (52.2kg) in 2017, and took the top spot in the strawweight division twice by defeating Zhang Weili in 2021, is now competing in the flyweight division (56.7kg). Moved up to weight class.
She will face Manon Fioro (France) in the women’s flyweight division of the main card of ‘UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivak’ to be held in Paris, France on the 3rd.
Namajunas, who rose to second place in the weight class rankings immediately after being promoted to flyweight, is highly likely to participate in the championship match immediately if he defeats Pioro.
Namajunas revealed the reason for moving up to a weight class, saying, “I achieved everything I wanted at strawweight. I wanted to see if I could become a two-weight champion at flyweight.”
Namajunas, who is 161.5 cm tall, faces a tough height battle with Pioro (170.2 cm), who is more than 5 cm taller than him.
Namajunas expressed confidence, saying, “Actually, I fight well against players who are bigger than me. On the contrary, I had a hard time with players who are smaller than me.”
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