“Would invade Troy for her” - UFC fans mourn Rose Namajunas’ loss of long hair after old image goes viral

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is set to transition to the flyweight division for her bout against Manon Fiorot at the UFC Paris event scheduled for September 2, 2023.

Formerly known for her long blonde hair, 'Thug' opted for a buzz cut early in her UFC career. She made the decision shortly before her fight against Paige VanZant, which was the main event of UFC Fight Night 80 in December 2015.

Rose Namajunas explained that she chose the look because her longer hair was getting in the way of her training. Sharing a photo of her hairstyle on Instagram, she wrote:

"It's a fight, not a beauty pageant. Sh*t's in my way at practice ... cut it off!"

Check out Namajunas' post below:

A wave of nostalgia swept through the MMA community as an old image of Rose Namajunas with her long hair resurfaced and went viral, prompting fans to lament the departure of her hairstyle.

Check out Namajunas' photo below:

One fan wrote:

"Wasted potential."

Another wrote:

"Definitely the right look for her 🤙🏻"

Check out some more reactions below:

"Would invade Troy for her."

"One of the most confusing fighters of all time. So much talent. Just can’t get her heart and head all the way in the game."

"She’s become so unlikeable you gotta feel bad."

"Long hair rose IS THE BEST!"

Credits: @DovySimuMMA on Twitter

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Rose Namajunas tanked the UFC’s promotional machinery with her ‘Furiosa’ look in 2015

Back in 2015, UFC’s promotional machinery was hard at work to promote homegrown young prospects like Sage Northcutt and Paige VanZant. Both fighters had the looks, the skills, and the way with the mic. The UFC invested heavily in them and VanZant was a heavy betting favorite heading into her fight against short-notice opponent Rose Namajunas in December 2015.

Meanwhile, Namajunas, who fought in the UFC’s inaugural strawweight title fight against Carla Esparza, was primarily known for her BJJ. The former title challenger with an unimpressive 3-2 record was perceived as the perfect sacrificial lamb to launch Vanzant into the higher echelons of the division.

But Namajunas used this opportunity perfectly to turn the UFC’s poster girl into a stepping stone for her own title run. The then 23-year-old showed up for the fight with fierce determination and a new look that the MMA community compared with ‘Furiosa’ from the 2015 movie Mad Max: Fury Road. This miniature version of Furiosa dominated the one-sided fight and emerged victoriously with a fifth-round submission.

Vanzant never fully recovered from the loss and failed to achieve contender status during the rest of her UFC career. Rose Namajunas became a fan favorite because of the ‘Furiosa’ look and her performance in the Vanzant fight. However, the performance was quickly forgotten as the UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor event that took place a couple of days later overshadowed everything that was happening in the MMA world.