Rose Namajunas is dealing with losses in her family due to COVID-19.
Namajunas was scheduled to take on Jessica Andrade on April 18. The strawweight rematch would’ve served as UFC 249’s co-main event. Word broke that Namajunas was removed from the card and now we know why.
Rose Namajunas Loses Two Family Members Due To COVID-19
Namajunas’ manager, Brian Butler, took to his Instagram page to reveal the reason why “Thug” Rose has pulled out of UFC 249.
“Immediate release: @rosenamajunas withdrew from UFC 249 due to 2 deaths in the family related to the Coronavirus. Her hopes are to return to the Octagon as soon as possible but for now we ask for people to respect their privacy during this time.”
According to John Hopkins University, there have been over 1,500,000 COVID-19 cases globally. Over 93,000 people have died and over 340,000 people have recovered. Many have criticized UFC president Dana White for continuing to go through with events amid this crisis, while others have praised him for moving forward while taking precautions.
UFC 249 is reportedly set to take place inside the Tachi Palace Casino Resort in California. That is tribal land, which means the UFC wouldn’t have to adhere to California’s stay-at-home order or the state’s athletic commission. The ABC did confirm to MMAFighting that UFC 249 will be a sanctioned event, however.
Namajunas was hoping to avenge her May 2019 loss to Andrade. Despite a solid opening round, Namajunas was knocked out in the second round via slam. She lost the UFC strawweight title in the process.
We here at MMA News send our condolences to Rose Namajunas and her family.
