Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas says a potential flyweight title fight against reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko would be one of the most meaningful matchups of her career.
Namajunas’ comments came as she prepares for a crucial women’s flyweight bout at UFC 324, where a victory could earn her that dream title shot.
Namajunas shared her thoughts in an interview with MMA Fighting while discussing her move to the flyweight division and the possibility of challenging Shevchenko for the UFC women’s 125-pound title.
According to her, facing the dominant champion would be more than just another fight, it would be a chance to test herself against one of the greatest female fighters of all time.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, it definitely would be a culmination of my entire career,” Namajunas told MMA Fighting.
“I mean, just as a fan, she’s like, I’d say, one of the greatest, if not the greatest female fighters of all time. So that would be my reason that it would be a dream fight, you know what I mean? Just because, as a fan, I’ve always looked at her career and thought to myself, ‘That would be amazing if I could do what she’s done,’ or at least, I try to push myself to the way that she pushes herself.
“And I know how hard she works, and I know how strong she is and how consistent she is. It’s just, she’s an inspiration to me, so that would be it.”
Namajunas, who previously held the strawweight title and defeated legends like Tracy Cortez and Zhang Weili, has been rebuilding her momentum at flyweight after moving up in weight. Her long-term goal is to become a two-division UFC champion, and Shevchenko currently stands as the final obstacle to that historic achievement.
“I mean, honestly, in a certain sense, without having any type of relationship with Joanna when I was getting ready to fight her, I mean, it kind of was somewhat of that as well,” Namajunas explained. “I was a big fan of hers, even with our rivalry, and this and that, I always was looking up to her, you know what I mean?
“ But I always felt like, I think her being like the boogeywoman at the time, it kind of helped me put those feelings aside in a way. But whereas Valentina, yeah, that would be a little more conflicting because I do like her personality, and I like who she is as a person a lot. But at the end of the day, it’s like, I mean, we also trained together, and I think the amount of training that we put in together in the past, I would much rather be paid for that rather than just beat each other up in the gym.
“ But obviously, training is also a lifelong journey as well. So if we did that or if we didn’t or whatever, I don’t know what the future holds, but hopefully we can still train together at the end of the day.”
“I’m just thankful that I didn’t get the switch up like a couple weeks before the fight,” Namajuinas said. “So we had adequate time to prepare and stuff. … When [the opponent] first got switched, that’s when I was told that [I’d get a title shot with a win].
“I’ve said it before that, I mean, some people are saying like, ‘Oh, [it’s] guaranteed.’ I don’t think anything’s guaranteed, even though they said that. I want to make sure that I put on the best performance possible and that, regardless of what happens, I’m just happy with myself at the end of the day. And yeah, with the win, that would be great.”
Shevchenko, widely regarded as one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, reclaimed the flyweight belt in 2024 and has continued to prove why many consider her the gold standard of women’s MMA. A showdown with Namajunas would put two of the most technically gifted and mentally strong fighters the sport has ever produced against each other.
For Rose, it’s not just about winning another belt. It’s about facing one of the greatest ever and seeing how far her journey in the sport can truly go.
