Rose Namajunas, the former two-time UFC strawweight champion, addresses Trevor Wittman’s absence during her recent fight at UFC Paris and dispels misconceptions about why he wasn’t in her corner.
In a hard-fought showdown at UFC Paris, Rose Namajunas ventured into the flyweight division for the first time to face the formidable Manon Fiorot. The co-main event clash proved to be intense, marked by a bloody encounter following a head clash in the second round. Despite Namajunas’s valiant efforts, she ultimately succumbed to Fiorot, losing via unanimous decision after a grueling three-round battle.
In the aftermath of the fight, fans began to speculate about the notable absence of her renowned coach, Trevor Wittman, who was conspicuously absent from Namajunas’s corner. Some even theorized that Wittman’s non-presence might have contributed to her loss.
During a recent Instagram livestream session, Rose Namajunas candidly addressed questions regarding Wittman’s absence, debunking assumptions that it had anything to do with her fiancé and coach, Pat Barry. The 31-year-old fighter clarified that Wittman’s absence was primarily due to his hectic schedule, which included training Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt.
Namajunas emphatically stated, “Everybody wants to sh*t on Pat and just makes assumptions because that’s the way things are no matter what. People are just going to assume that he’s the reason why he [Trevor] wasn’t in my corner. It has nothing to do with Pat. It has everything to do with me and Gaethje and him, having a fight with the BMF and all this stuff and I did not want to interfere. I stayed back and there’s more, there’s more to it than that. But for the most part, that’s all.”
Furthermore, Namajunas revealed that she chose not to burden Wittman, especially during his gym relocation. “It just was the timing for this fight when I got offered this fight just so happened to be in the middle of his training camp. And it’s just like I couldn’t even bring around the state of mind that I was in. I couldn’t bring that around him. The fact that I could possibly contribute to him not doing well, never has not sat right with me since the Karla fight. So I took it upon myself to stay back, you know, and it just so happens also after Garhje’s fight, Trevor, he does not have a gym right now,” she explained.
While some fans questioned whether the Gaethje match could have caused Wittman’s absence, the fight between Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier took place at UFC 291 in July, seemingly providing ample time for Wittman to focus on Namajunas.