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UFC 217’s Rose Namajunas won’t engage Joanna Jedrzejczyk after she’s again called ‘mentally unstable’
Every fight is personal for UFC women’s strawweight title challenger Rose Namajunas – and the fight is with herself.
“I just want to try and make this world a better place and use my gift of (expletive) martial arts,” she told MMAjunkie today on a conference call in support of UFC 217. “I’m great at this (expletive). This is what I’ve been born to do.
“I might be crazy, but I’m dangerous, too.”
Namajunas (6-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has been called the former, in so many words, by her upcoming opponent, champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who aims to notch her sixth title defense on Nov. 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. During a pre-fight staredown for the event, Jedrzejczyk called Namajunas “mentally unstable.”
Today during the call, Jedrzejczyk again used the smear. After Namajunas, a sexual abuse survivor, spoke of overcoming personal demons and her desire to use her title shot to promote mental health, Jedrzejczyk pounced.
“You didn’t want to do extra media – how are you going to be a champion and deal with all of those things? You know what? You’re not stronger mentally,” she said. “You are mentally unstable, and you are broken already, and I will break you in the fight.”
Namajunas, however, refused to engage Jedrzejczyk in the kind of personal back-and-forth that so often takes place during UFC conference calls.
“I think there’s a lot of mental instability in this whole country, and I think that’s a great reason to fight,” the title challenger said.
“This country has been amazing to me,” Jedrzejczyk interrupted. “I think you have some personal problems, and I will show you what your problem is. You’re never going to be a champion.”
Asked if she is hesitant to fire back at Jedrzejczyk, Namajunas admits the champ has brought deeply personal issues into the fight. And yet, there’s a higher purpose keeping her from making it about the bad blood between them.
“I’m not sure if it’s maybe a cultural difference or something like that, but for me, it’s not something that’s taken lightly,” she said of the”mentally unstable” talk. “My family has been torn apart. My dad died – and he wasn’t in my life – because he had schizophrenia. It’s been something my entire family has been fighting against since I can remember.
“So this fight means a lot to me, and it’s not just about the belt. It’s more than that, and I want to inspire people to (expletive) do whatever the (expletive) you want to do and do what makes you happy. You can overcome anything.”
Namajunas isn’t interested in judging whether her opponent is crossing the line in pre-fight interviews. She is focused on herself, and herself alone.
“I’m not concerned about what she’s doing,” Namajunas said. “Whatever she’s saying, that’s fine. But for me, it’s all about me. It’s all about conquering my demons, and that’s what’s important.”
For more on UFC 217, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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