Rose Namajunas stepped up the game before her fight with Weili Zhang at UFC 261 with a politically charged remark.
Namajunas, a Lithuanian American whose parents escaped communist rule in Europe, made it clear in an interview with the Lithuanian media that the weightlifting championship means more to her.
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“The hostility and things like that can be very motivating factors in short moments. But in all the fights, there might have been certain rivalries and things like that, but I always kept myself in control,” Namajunas said. “I never really hated the person – and I do not hate Weili or anything like that. There is nothing … but I feel like I have a lot to fight for in this fight and what she’s proposing.
‘I just reminded myself of my background and wherever I come from, and my family and stuff, and I wanted to educate my training partner about the Lithuanian struggle and just the history of everything, so we’re watching’ The Other Dream Team ‘just to get an overall sentiment of what we’re fighting for. After we looked at it, it was just a great reminder of like, yeah, it’s better dead than red, you know? And I do not think it is coincidental that Weili is red. This is what she represents. ‘
‘Better dead than red’ is a slogan against communism that was popular during the Cold War. Zhang is from China, a communist country.
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Namajunas and Weili are some of the best female fighters in the UFC.
Weili won 21 direct battles and became the first Chinese champion in the company. She had a UFC 248 fight against Joanna Jedzrejczyk in March 2020 in which she won by a split decision. She has not fought since.
Namajunas last fought Jessica Andrade in July 2020. She also won the battle by a split decision. She has also beaten Jedzrejczyk twice in her career.
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She added Weili’s background is why she fights, and she fights “for freedom.”