Rose Namajunas won’t return until she finds her purpose: “I still want to fight again”

Rose Namajunas doesn’t want to retire just yet, but she needs to have a good reason to trade leather again.

Namajunas last competed inside the Octagon back in January. She stepped inside the Octagon with Natalie Silva in hopes of returning to the UFC title picture, but she dropped a unanimous decision to Silva. The outcome was a bit controversial, as many pundits felt “Thug” Rose did enough to secure the win.

Fast forward to the summer, and Namajunas is attempting to discover what her purpose is in the fight game at 34. Appearing on the “Weighing In” podcast, the former two-time UFC women’s strawweight titleholder said she hopes to find the spark that convinces her to get back to action (via MMAJunkie).

“That’s why I’ve been sitting out for a while because I’m trying to rediscover, OK, what am I doing now?” Namajunas said. “To just be fairly transparent, the last three opportunities that I had, or the last three losses that I had – the Natalia fight, the Erin Blanchfield fight, and the Manon (Fiorot) fight – … I was told that I would get a title shot with a win with that fight.

“And same thing with the Manon fight. I needed to win that fight in order to get the title shot. Then Erin Blanchfield, I’m pretty sure it was the same thing. I came up short in all three of those. I’m at a point in my life where I’m thinking about family stuff and all these things, and next steps, future things. So I do want to compete, and I still want to fight again, but I want to make sure that when I’m going in there, I’m going for a purpose and a reason.”

Namajunas has gone 1-2 in her last two outings with the losses coming against Silva and top contender Erin Blanchfield. “Thug” Rose is a name who always lingers near the top of the heap, and perhaps another opportunity will arise in the near future. For now, Namajunas is content with waiting for the right time.

Who do you think Rose Namajunas should fight next? Let us know in the comments below.