At UFC Paris, Rose Namajunas (12-6 MMA) made her debut at the women’s flyweight division against Manon Fiorot (11-1 MMA). The intense match took place at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, on September 2nd.
Fiorot ended up securing a unanimous decision victory over the ex-strawweight champion.
The question on everyone’s mind including former MMA champion Josh Thomson, is whether Namajunas’s decision to transition to flyweight might be jeopardizing her illustrious career. Thomson voiced his concerns on the ‘Weighing In’ podcast, suggesting that Rose might be unintentionally hindering her own path to success.
Thomson emphasized that Fiorot’s physicality played a significant role in the outcome of the bout. He noted that Fiorot was the larger combatant and had a more substantial impact on Rose.
He said: “I thought Fiorot was just the bigger fighter and all of her shots had a lot more impact on Rose. I don’t know if it’s just me, maybe it’s not… I feel like Rose Namajunas is like, sabotaging her career. Like, what are you doing? She is so talented and you are considered to be one of the best in the 115-pound division. Why are you going up?”
The former champion continued to express his concerns, hoping that Rose’s venture into flyweight was a one-time occurrence. He even went on to suggest that she should consider returning to strawweight, where she had the potential to regain her championship status.
He continued: “Maybe it was for one fight. I hope you go back down. You could be the champ again. I mean, if you wanna get motivated, stay motivated; whatever it is. I just feel like she’s sabotaging herself. She doesn’t know how to handle this success or she just doesn’t want to have success around her.”
It’s worth noting that Rose Namajunas chose not to speak at the press conference after the match following her loss to Manon Fiorot. Her future in the sport remains uncertain, and only time will reveal her next steps.