Youths at the Milwaukee Baseball Club Community Center, 1623 S. 38th St., hosted one the city’s biggest sports stars over the weekend.
Rose “Thug Rose” Namajunas, a current UFC fighter and former champion, spent time Saturday afternoon talking to them about her path to success and experiences growing up in the city.
“I had a long journey. Been around the world, but it all started here,” she said. “I was born and raised on Milwaukee’s North Side.”
Namajunas said she attended Milwaukee High School of the Arts and worked at Gilles Frozen Custard. Growing up in Milwaukee, she said, there was an unspoken mentality that led some inner-city kids like her to question themselves when they competed against suburban students who were more well off.
She told youths at the event they should never feel that way.
“As long as you put your effort in and say ‘Today, I’m going to do my best,’ the momentum will snowball,” she said. “You will look back and say, ‘I’m glad about where I came from.’ ”
Namajunas said she got her nickname, “Thug Rose,” from a Jamaican woman who lived in her neighborhood around Meinecke Avenue.
“I looked like the kind of weak kid and got picked on, but I always had a mean face,” she said. “She could see that I had an attitude. Then I learned to fight.”
She had advice for the kids on bullying.
“It won’t affect you if you believe in yourself,” Namajunas said.
Namajunas, who lives and trains in Denver, was in town to co-host a mixed martial arts event Sunday with fellow Milwaukeean and ex-UFC champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.
She said she’s been involved in martial arts since childhood, but she decided to make a career out of it around 15 years ago.
When asked what advice she had for kids involved in sports, she encouraged them to work hard but also to give themselves grace.
“Ultimately it’s just about showing up and giving the best you can,” Namajunas said.
She spoke with them about a viral moment she had in 2021, when she was shown on video repeating the phrase “I’m the best, I’m the best,” before knocking out Weili Zhang to reclaim the UFC women’s strawweight championship.
She said she didn’t say it because she knew she was the best, but because she knew that she would give her best.
“I did everything I needed to do for the best outcome,” Namajunas said.
That won’t always result in a win, she said, but will help you learn.
“All of it gets us to where we are meant to be,” she said.
Inspiring youths
Julian Haliga, founder and CEO of Milwaukee Baseball Club, said it was an honor to welcome the two-time former champion to connect with youths and their families.
“What made this visit so impactful wasn’t just her accomplishments inside the octagon, but the depth of her message,” he said.
He said her messages about effort, commitment, facing your fears, and being thankful left a lasting impression.
“This event is exactly why we do what we do at Milwaukee Baseball Club, to create moments that inspire, uplift, and remind our community, especially our young people, of the strength and potential they carry within themselves,” Haliga said.
Namajunas said she’s still healing from hand surgery and also from an eye poke in her last fight and hasn’t made any decisions yet on her future.
She said being back in town to speak to kids was special for her.
“I came full circle,” Namajunas said. “Milwaukee has done so much for me in sports.”
