The world of professional MMA is highly competitive, especially in top promotions like UFC, and oftentimes, fighters can’t avoid clashing with their own professional allies. UFC Atlanta is about to bring out something similar with Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick, as the fight has been building up quietly for quite some time.
Rose Namajunas Didn’t Think Twice Before Accepting the Miranda Maverick Fight
Namajunas shared that her upcoming fight with Maverick at UFC Fight Night: Usman vs. Buckley didn’t come as a surprise. The former strawweight champion believes that this fight has been coming for almost a year, just under different circumstances.
During an interview with MMA Fighting at UFC Fight Night: Usman vs Buckley presser, “Thug” was asked whether she had any “second thoughts” before accepting the fight against her former training partner, to which she said, “I mean, no second thoughts or anything, just it’s something that I wasn’t like super surprised by.”
Namajunas recalled the time when she was scheduled to fight Maycee Barber, but Barber pulled out. Back then, Maverick was interested in stepping in, even though she was already booked against Tracy Cortez. That didn’t happen, obviously, but that move stuck with Namajunas.
“When I was matched up to fight Maycee [Barber] and she had pulled out last year, I believe it was about last year. She, Miranda, was one of the first people to kind of throw her name in the hat to jump at that opportunity and she was matched up to fight Tracy [Cortez] at the time,” Namajunas explained. “So she was kind of upset that Tracy got that opportunity over her. And we were training together for that fight, mainly just like sparring, not like all the other stuff.”
“But so yeah, whenever that happened, I kind of always had in the back of my mind that she would want this opportunity, and so when it came up, I wasn’t too surprised but yeah, it is what it is,” she added.
Instead of being full-time training partners, “Thug” said that she used to just spar with her occasionally. So the fighters didn’t get too deep into each other’s styles, and their familiarity might not be as strong as it usually is between longtime training partners.
When asked whether she takes Maverick’s pursuit of the fight personally, Namajunas made it clear she understands it’s all part of the game and nothing personal. “I mean, I know that this is the fight business, you know, she wants what I have, she wants my spot and I got to just show her that she has to look for a different spot,” she said.
Rose Namajunas says there were “no second thoughts” about accepting a fight against former sparring partner Miranda Maverick at #UFCAtlanta:
“This is the fight business. She wants what I have, and she wants my spot. I’ve got to show her she has to look for a different spot.” pic.twitter.com/N6DEy1X4eK
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 11, 2025
“Thug” is currently ranked #7 in the women’s flyweight division, and Maverick stands at #11. Although fighting a higher-ranked opponent would have been more beneficial for Namajunas, she feels Maverick is more skilled than her ranking shows, which makes the matchup an exciting challenge for her as a fighter.