Rose Namajunas on Joanna Jedrzejczyk: ‘It’s nice to not have to think about her for a second’

When UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk for a second time this past April, it seemingly closed the door on their rivalry….for now.

According to “Thug Rose” that’s more satisfying than winning a UFC championship as she mentioned in recent interview with UFC.com.

“I don’t know if necessarily I get to enjoy the title so much as I get to enjoy thinking about somebody else other than Joanna for however long,” Rose Namajunas explained. “I’m always enjoying the title as long as I’m blessed to have it in my possession. That’s going to be an everyday thing. Maybe one day me and Joanna’s storylines will meet up again, but it’s nice to not have to think about her for a second.”

Namajunas (8-3) had an outstanding 2017 that saw her submit Michelle Waterson at UFC on FOX 24 and then knock out Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217. The 26-year-old was close to a +500 underdog in that matchup against Jedrzejczyk (bet $100 to win $500) as she captured her first UFC title.

Rose Namajunas would then follow that up with a unanimous decision victory over the former champion at UFC 223. However, since the infamous Conor McGregor bus attack, Namajunas hasn’t given a timetable on her return. lt’s likely we’ll see her face Jessica Andrade in her return, who recently knocked out Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 228.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk (15-2) rebounded from her two-straight losses to Namajunas by defeating Tecia Torres at UFC on FOX 30. The American Top Team member is slated to move up a weight class and face former Muay Thai rival Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 231. For the 31-year-old, it will be another opportunity for a UFC title as this matchup is for the vacant flyweight championship, which was stripped from Nicco Montano for failing to compete at UFC 228 due to health reasons.

Do you think we’ll ever see Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk fight again?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/21/2018.