Rose Namajunas, known as “Thug Rose,” is a two-time UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion and one of the most iconic figures in the history of women’s mixed martial arts.
She built an extraordinary fighting career defined as much by her mental strength and philosophical depth as by her technical brilliance inside the Octagon.
But for millions of fans worldwide, one question about Rose Namajunas stands above all others: What did she look like with hair, why did she shave it off, and will she ever grow it back?
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Rose Namajunas With Hair: The Full Story
For the first three years of her professional career, Rose Namajunas had long blonde hair, usually worn in a ponytail or a tight braid during fights and training sessions.
Early UFC fans and members of the media frequently compared her to Ronda Rousey, partly because of her striking looks and flowing blonde hair, a comparison that Namajunas found deeply uncomfortable. She wanted to be recognized for her fighting ability, not her appearance.
Everything changed on December 10, 2015, before her main event fight against Paige VanZant at UFC Fight Night 80 in Las Vegas.
Days before the bout, Namajunas posted a photograph on Instagram revealing that she had shaved her head completely, captioning it with a statement that became one of the most memorable lines in UFC women’s history: “It’s a fight, not a beauty pageant. It’s in my way at practice. Cut it off.” Her reasons went far deeper than convenience.
She explained in multiple interviews that braiding her long hair before every training session and every fight had become a genuine distraction and frustration.
She did not know how to style her hair, had always been a tomboy growing up, and resented the expectation that she should look a certain way as a female fighter.
She told the media: “Just years and years of playing sports, not just fighting, hair’s been growing up, and being a tomboy growing up and not really wanting to have to do my hair. I don’t even know how to do my hair.”
She also described the decision as deeply symbolic and psychological. It represented shedding her past, embracing who she truly was as a fighter, and breaking free from societal expectations about how women should look.
She said: “I just want to be able to wake up in the morning and feel pretty and not have to do a whole bunch of stuff to my hair. It is definitely like shedding my past.”
The results spoke immediately and powerfully. She went on to submit Paige VanZant in the fifth round via rear-naked choke, earning a Performance of the Night bonus.
The buzz cut became her trademark, her identity, and her armor. She has maintained it ever since. In interviews as of 2026, Namajunas has discussed potentially growing her hair back after her fighting career ends but has confirmed that she remains committed to the buzz cut while she continues to compete.
Rose Namajunas Biography
She was born on June 29, 1992, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Lithuanian immigrant parents who had moved to the United States in search of a better life.
Rose Arlene Namajunas was named Rose after her grandmother and remains extremely close to both of her grandmothers, visiting them regularly and speaking fluent Lithuanian to communicate with them.
Her early life was marked by significant hardship. Her father had schizophrenia, a condition that caused considerable instability and difficulty during her childhood, an experience that shaped the extraordinary mental resilience she has demonstrated throughout her career.
Her nickname, “Thug Rose,” was given to her by friends during her youth because, despite being a gentle and thoughtful girl, she had a naturally intimidating frown that made her look tough.
The nickname stuck and became one of the UFC’s most recognizable monikers. Rose began training in taekwondo at just five years old, earning her first junior black belt by the age of nine.
She went on to train in karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu before discovering mixed martial arts. During high school at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, she trained in kickboxing and MMA under legendary coach Duke Roufus and also competed in wrestling during her senior year.
She stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and competes at strawweight (115 pounds) and flyweight (125 pounds). She is of Lithuanian-American heritage and was raised in the Catholic faith.
Career
Rose competed as an amateur MMA fighter in 2010, compiling a perfect 4-0 record with two wins by TKO and two by decision. She turned professional in January 2013, making her debut against Emily Kagan at Invicta FC 4 and winning by submission.
She went on to compile a 2-1 record in Invicta FC before signing with the UFC on December 11, 2013, as one of 16 fighters selected for Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, the first season dedicated to the women’s strawweight division.
She reached the tournament final after defeating Alex Chambers, Joanne Calderwood, and Randa Markos before losing to Carla Esparza in the inaugural UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship fight. Despite the loss, she earned a $25,000 bonus and established herself as one of the division’s most exciting and technically gifted fighters.
After several competitive but inconsistent years, she had her career-defining moment at UFC 217 in November 2017 when she shocked the MMA world by stopping the dominant Joanna Jędrzejczyk in the first round to win the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship, one of the biggest upsets in UFC women’s history.
She defended the title against Jędrzejczyk in their rematch at UFC 223 before losing to Jessica Andrade via a dramatic slam knockout at UFC 237 in May 2019.
She regained the title at UFC 261 in April 2021 with a stunning head-kick knockout of Weili Zhang in just 78 seconds, one of the most spectacular finishes in women’s MMA history.
She successfully defended the championship against Zhang in their rematch at UFC 268 in November 2021 before losing the title to Carla Esparza via split decision in one of the most heavily criticized championship fights in recent UFC history. She moved up to the flyweight division in 2023 and has been working toward a flyweight title shot.
Notable recent performances include a victory over Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 89 and her fight against Miranda Maverick at UFC Atlanta in June 2025.
At UFC 324 in January 2026, she fought Natalia Silva and suffered an eye poke that required canalicular tube surgery, leaving a tube in her eye for three months.
Her professional MMA record currently stands at approximately 11 wins and 6 losses across both the strawweight and flyweight divisions.
Pat Barry’s Wife
Rose Namajunas is the wife of former UFC heavyweight fighter Patrick Barry, who is 13 years older than her. The couple first met when Rose was 14 years old, and Pat was 27, a significant age gap that has attracted both criticism and support throughout their relationship.
They began their romantic relationship in 2014 when Rose was 21, became engaged in 2015, and married in 2017.
Both Rose and Pat have addressed the age-gap controversy directly and consistently. Rose said in a 2017 interview that Pat was the love of her life and that other people’s opinions were irrelevant to their happiness. P
at echoed this sentiment in a 2018 interview, saying he was proud to be with her and indifferent to public perception. The couple have also stated that they have no plans to have children, a decision they have consistently maintained throughout their marriage.
Pat Barry was born on August 26, 1979, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He competed as a UFC heavyweight fighter from 2008 to 2015 and became known for his powerful striking and exciting fighting style. Since retiring from competition, he has transitioned into coaching, working closely with Rose throughout her career.
Their partnership as both a married couple and a fighter-coach team has been one of the most discussed arrangements in recent UFC history, with some fans and analysts questioning whether the coaching dynamic has served Rose’s career optimally, particularly given her previous work with elite trainer Trevor Wittman.