UFC 237: How Rose Namajunas was in fighter hotel hours after Jessica Andrade loss
ROSE NAMAJUNAS’ reign as UFC women’s strawweight champion ended early on Sunday morning.
‘Thug Rose’ was dethroned by Jessica Andrade in the main event of UFC 237 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Andrade battled through adversity to become Brazil’s third female UFC champion, surviving a barrage of pinpoint strikes from the now former 115lb queen.
In front of thousands of her fellow countrymen and countrywomen, Andrade stunned the world by knocking out Namajunas with a nasty piledriver in the second round.
After the fight, a crestfallen Namajunas hinted that retirement was on the cards.
That’s the last time I left @danawhite pick my walkout song
Her mood, however, was a lot more upbeat nearly 12 hours later in the fighter hotel.
Atop of the Windsor Marapendi and it’s rooftop bar and pool, Namajunas sat behind me with her team and her long-term boyfriend Pat Barry.
But, unlike the aftermath of her dethroning, she was in an upbeat and jovial mood - laughing and joking with her team.
In fact, she was in such good spirits she even took the time to take photos with her adoring fans.
It was as if she'd already made peace with her loss, which would make sense as moments after the fight she said a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Namajunas, 26, sent a message to her fans on Instagram a few hours after taking in the Rio’s rays one last time in a post which epitomised her state of mind.
“That’s the last time I left @danawhite pick my walkout song,” the post read.
“Thank you Brazil I will never forget this experience.”
At this moment in time, it's unclear what the future holds for fan-favourite Namajunas.
Andrade is expecting the UFC brass to try to book an immediate rematch and is more than willing to give 'Thug Rose' the chance to reclaim the 115lb throne.
She said: "The UFC is definitely going to want to do a rematch and I accept it.
"Because I believe that, to prove that you won, you have to do the same thing twice."