This 90-minute documentary film reveals the dramatic and inspiring story of one of the most fascinating personalities in the fight …
Thug Rose Nunes she’d certainly stole the show on The Ultimate Fighter she grew up in inner C sitting Milwaukee was always around violence and abuse there’s definitely been some moments where I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it this far she had a tough life man tough life my whole mindset was I’m just going to keep focusing on winning I feel a little bit of pressure every time it’s always there that kind of pressure cannot deal with that pressure it’s too much for you I don’t know if R use has a mental toughness To Be A Champion Thug Rose she reportedly lost her love for the sport even toyed with the idea of retirement I just want to do something like re I don’t know hard to obviously my [Music] life [Music] UFC stwe champion of the world F Rose [Music] [Applause] you [Music] it is a championship fight night and that means Thug Rose has been activated now roughly 7 months after she regained the strawweight title Thug Rose nunas is back to defend it against Shan way Lee the woman from whom she rested the belt away if anybody knows Rose they know Rose is all in her head even Rose doesn’t necessarily believe in herself sometimes she’s sitting there thinking was it a fluke that’s the right mindset she’s got to have in order to go into a fight she’s got to be completely unsure of whatever happened previously and that’s what keeps her on her toes right show baby let let’s do [Music] it ran had fun with this here we go six UFC title fight for the now two time UFC strawweight Queen and Joe Rogan the work she is putting in in the gym is paying off in quantifiable ways that has taken her overall confidence to another other well I mean having Pat Barry as both a boyfriend and a man at trained with is amazing with Trevor Whitman she’s got amazing training but she got also she’s got an amazing mind I mean it’s a very very unusual and fascinating person Rose nunz Rises to the occasion like very few others whether or not she can do it again that’s where we’re going to find [Applause] out [Music] Rose was just exceptional just soaks up everything and learns I thought she was going to be like musical theater or something like [Music] that when you have kids you just play you know by ear you know it’s not always what you envision me and my mom sun will have a little jam session impromptu Jam sessions music has always been a part of her life and it’s done wonders for her and so she taught my brother and I how to play piano when she came to the United States she eventually got a job being a music director at the church that was our sponsor when we got Refugee say she has impact on me you know we almost every morning we call each other and say affirmations I choose to be happy I choose to be creative I choose choose choose it’s all your mindset having faith don’t get distracted by the world you know what’s going on just just be strong inside I was born in country of Lithuania it was part of Soviet Union at the time and the Berlin Wall fell and we were like okay this is our chance I was still in school getting my bachelors in Conservatory of Music in vus Rose’s dad said well we are moving we leaving we’re going to United States I’m like what noas was just two months that was kind of a rough time for Lithuania just because it was a lot of uh civil unrest and everything with the collapse of the Soviet Union our family went to the US Embassy in Moscow so we got Refugee status and uh came to America through a sponsorship uh by a church I don’t know why I did it I did not want to be left out and I was like well you know together we we will make it [Music] I was born June 29th 1992 in Milwaukee [Music] Wisconsin I remember early on there was very warm loving [Music] memories people were just happy here so giving to someone just immigrated that was so heartwarming for me because American Dream to me is if you decide to do something you can ciip [Music] classes I remember growing up with my brother obviously he was always taking care of me in his own way you know sometimes roughing roughing me up most of the time roughing me up and other times just always making me laugh there was really good memories early on and then things kind of got a little rougher once um you know uh family situations kind of [Music] changed in Lithuania my Dad decided he didn’t want to be part of the Soviet Army so the Soviet kidnapped him and put him in a psychiatric hospital and um basically psychologically tortured him what I was told is that afterwards he was never the same and they ended up kind of like like causing schizophrenia it [Music] happen he was a really intense deep thinker obviously with all the paint scenes and stuff he was an artist so he he had a sensitive Soul he was um and it seemed like he sort of was changed when he came back um our parents divorced when I was about four or five I didn’t really understand the situation you know it was just like okay you know your dad’s going away I just remember seeing my dad one last time at McDonald’s and he was like oh you could come with me or you could stay with your mom and it’s up to you and that was it I don’t even remember emotionally processing that ever from there it just was like hard to for him to be in our lives and then eventually um he he ended up dying but um yeah so that’s kind of the story yeah in a [Music] nutshell we moved neighborhoods and it was really hard on me we grew up in a rough neighborhood and we had a lot of fun times and stuff but it wasn’t always sunshine and Roses I was constantly being picked on and so like I had to learn how to defend myself our cars got stolen bikes got stolen there was actual real violence you know you hear gunshots and neighborhood people get shot I kind of associate this place with a lot of fearful memories and scary things you know I watch somebody get stabbed down there you know and the cop showed up I had to give a witness lots of you would think is like bad memories but it’s also like doesn’t sound positive but it really is what cultivated me into who I [Music] am [Music] Hi how are you good good thank you nice to see you congratulations you’re doing a great job thank you thank you ch’s martial arts was definitely my safe haven as a kid life at home was not the best so this is like the main positive thing in my life and I felt in love with it right away because it was so different from everything else you got to know to self believing you can win this you can do no matter what outcome you’re going to try best you can and never never never giving up the best is yet to [Music] come they really pushed you to your limit so that you really did feel stronger in yourself I’ll develop self discipline in order to bring out the best of myself and others I will use what I learn in class constructively and defensively to help myself and my fellow man and never be abusive and offensive the student Creed planted a seed of positive affirmations and knowing your purpose your mission statement basically what you’re doing we are a blackma school we are motivated we’re dedicated we’re to be our best hey I do remember that yeah we we said that like I think we said that almost every day right every class yeah that’s the dang I didn’t even realize I was doing positive affirmations since day one that’s [Music] crazy when Rose namuna steps off the bus for a cross country meet or just for a practice she’s ready to go full speed just a feeling of afterward that of accomplishment you know that you get Rose’s talents however extend far beyond any Cross Country course she also holds a black belt in martial arts I don’t know I just really like fighting um not not to instigate a fight or anything but just the sport she’s been active in karate boxing and kickboxing just to name a few Rose has even traveled as far as Portugal to compete the first day that I started training mixed martial arts it was just all guys pretty much just me and then like a bunch of dudes and they were all really good wrestlers really strong really fundamental and I remember when I first walked in I grapped appled with everybody and I I just kind of got mopped on the floor with a bunch of dudes like it was just it was rough I cried a lot uh there was definitely lots of days where I’m just likeo I I’m beat up and so I knew that I had to prove myself so I just showed up did as best as I could some days I just [Music] cry took a long time a couple years and then my eyes were open and I was actually grew into the training I first met Rose when she was really young she had a different Drive than a lot of people and that’s what I saw right away you know that same drive and push and a willingness to just go that extra mile so that’s when it all started she started doing Jiu-Jitsu here and bre’s history [Music] [Music] when I first started my amateur career that’s where I met Pat do that exact same move and as you do it boom and it’s so we were friends at first teammates I watched him for a very long time when we first met he was at the peak of his career he was still super talented and that is it pat Barry making a statement but he did sacrifice his own talent because he saw something in me that he maybe didn’t see in [Music] himself I fought for about 15 years and for 15 years I had no goal in mind I was just passing time when I met Rose it gave me a purpose it gave me something to put all of my love into all of my everything that I could possibly give as soon as I met Rose I knew that’s where all of my attention was going to go and a relationship developed into cult relationship and then eventually we ended up hitting it off we’re soulmates and and uh he my fance and and my rock my everything he’s been there with me every step of the [Music] way the Love [Music] Tonight time for [Music] [Music] baby representing milwauke Wisconsin ladies and gentlemen here [Applause] is the first time when I walked into the cage I was nervous it was definitely the newest level of nerve n that I’ve ever experienced doing something but I was so ready to fight and I was so just aggressive during that time of my life Rose didn’t know how to fight back then Rose made her entire amateur career just being explosive mean and fighting [Applause] [Music] somebody [Music] [Applause] I just had all this pent up energy and I knew this is what I should be doing and immediately comes landed very arm oh she sweeps her over are you kidding me after having three professional fights in invict I was able to acquire a lot of experience in that time becoming comfortable as a fighter as a professional and um then I got approached with an opportunity to be on the ultimate fighter and when that happened it was a miracle it was a godsent you’re local girl I’m loc oh from Milwaukee yeah I immediately jumped on that opportunity you guys are the bad 16 women in the world at this weight class but it’s going to be the hardest experience of your life I promise you that the ultimate fighter provided sort of that structure where if you’re like a new upand cominging fighter you can go in there and learn so much about the UFC and the life of a fighter and what it is that you need to do to adopt that lifestyle go back up back up and learn how to be a fighter so I met met Rose at The Ultimate Fighter and she’s super talented her accuracy and timing is like one and another it’s almost like when you watch a wild animal attacking prey everything is just on point you see a lion go after a deer and they grab him in the net just instantly just like that when she’s in control of herself she makes greatness [Music] happen d and moving on Rose I ran through the ultimate fighter house had three first round finishes and then got into the finale show and it was for the belt this is the inaugural UFC strawweight Championship that was probably the best moment of my career as far as like preparing me for later looking for that right hand here nice flying kick there nice take down from Esparza oh Big Shots laning down for Esparza number unit hanging T deep breath it was a great round I give it to her cuz the takedowns we got to be sharper with that under three minutes now to go in our second round taked down could be the great equalizer here tonight both women have had their moments on the feet es far is able to work into striking range there on the ground keeping the pressure on Nama unit throughout this is the worst it gets okay let’s turn [Music] [Applause] on nunas hanging tough gives up the back here Nami Unis trying to push that elbow out the car es bza is the UFC straway champion of the world I lost against Carla who was like the number one pick on the show it was a huge learning experience for me I became such a better person from that and that’s when Trevor and I bonded really well and he took that loss really hard [Music] [Music] [Music] Pat and Rose are very unique they love each other to death but they are with each other all the time that everything they do is together Pat has fought so there’s that experience there he’s molded himself into this great coach and there’s no one that’s as committed to someone in the fight game as he is cu I know he feels like it’s his responsibility and that’s why he cares so much that’s why he’s so driven to make sure that every workout is perfect because there’s so much love there’s so much much care there very unique situation nice who told you to do that nice I admire Rose like I’m not just a coach or a guy in a relationship with her like I’m I’m I’ve got to be in my eyes I’ve got to be one of rose’s biggest fans Not Just from fighting but just the way she carries herself in life she’s really put in the work man she’s dedicated to whatever she feels her life’s mission is and that’s become my mission too go beautiful take down by Rose oh Angel is in big trouble Rose jumped on that rear naked choke oh she’s got it she’s got it she’s out she’s passed out it’s all over nice one too early from Nami this could be it she looks be under y this is tight this one might do down units finishes the job in a main event for the ages what a fight Rose in the take down attempt and she gets it the winner by unanimous decision Thug Rose [Music] nun nice right hand by wat oh nunas with a huge head kick Waton trying so hard to stay in this fight fighting hands there’s the tap Rose n un with arguably the biggest win of her life as she stops Michelle Waton that is a Monumental Victory as she becomes an immediate title [Music] Contender I remember the day that I got offered the fight I remember I was like on the top of my steps in my house house and got a call from the Matchmaker and I said heck yeah I’m ready here is the reigning defending Undisputed UFC strawweight champion still undefeated Yan Jak Che she’s ferocious man and she’s incredibly talented it’s her footwork her movement her skill her experience and her endurance and the hunger and the desire to stay [Music] champion I think you cannot be the champion because you just can’t do this you can’t deal with the media you cannot deal with the pressure it’s too much for you you know what I take your s you don’t know about being a champion you’re never going to be you are his and he’s a you are not stronger mentally you are mentally unstable and you are broken already and I will break me the fight I think there’s a lot of mental instability in this in this whole country and I think that’s that’s that’s a great reason to [Music] fight boogie woman is coming for Heroes when she was saying that you’re never going to be a champion or you’re mentally unstable or you’re this or you’re that her energy symbolized all the negativity that I have been battling from my upbringing and it just triggered me it put meaning to everything fighting out of the Red Corner the raing Undisputed thwe champion of the world y [Music] you Yani on jte she’s already been in seven women’s title fights we are looking at maybe the greatest female fighter this sport has ever seen D Rose nunis 25 years old old the real question is is she ready we’re going to find out I feel emotions and I’m not afraid to be honest about those I just realized there’s times where I’m strong and there’s times where I’m weak and I’m like how did I get to this point if I’m weak like that doesn’t make any sense so I knew that I had to work on negative selft talk and start to tell myself that I’m okay and I can do this you know here we go five rounds at needed to determine the UFC straway champion Yan is a little bit thicker a little bit bigger n looks pretty comfortable on the feet so far even to this day there’s never been a fight that I felt as good as I did when I was fighting Yan I just could see everything another Rose T and rose has a fantastic submission game Rose R has the advantage she’s got her back she’s tagging her and all the stars had aligned Landing that left hook well Rose another knock Rose you try to close the show it was just the ultimate culmination of like everything in my life all in one moment Rose go Rose unbelievable go Rose there is a new stwe Queen the hug roll with thefe left hook I felt the energy shifted after that fight declaring the winner by knock out and and new Undisputed UFC strong weight champion of the world po Rose after I knocked Yanna out and I realize I’m the Champion and all this stuff I think that’s what kind of triggered that emotional response what was going through your mind when all this was happening there’s so much like crap going on in the media news and stuff and um I just want to try and use my gift for martial arts to try and make this world a better place to change the world this belt this belt don’t mean nothing man just be a good person that’s it you know this this is extra this is awesome but let’s just give each other hugs and be nice man I mean I know we fight but this is entertainment I feel like a normal person man that’s it I’m just regular ain’t nothing special here there’s something special whether you admit it or not congratulations on an amazing performance it was an honor to call your fight Rose n un ladies and gentlemen everything she’s been wanting to do she’s made happen everything she said everything that she predicted she’s laid out ever since I’ve met her man that girl is something special she’s something special she called it she made it [Music] happen how prepared are you for for a clim ini a she I’m not prepared at [Music] all becoming the champ didn’t come with a butler it came with more interviews more talking more traveling more work when you get there in reality it’s like it takes some adjusting it takes some Focus energy and um discipline in order to deal with those type of things once Rose became champ the attention that came with it was uh noticeably a lot bigger like the world all of a sudden had their eyes on Rose looking at you a favorite o they were looking at me or that you Underdog in Vegas yeah I don’t I don’t pay attention to the that’s uh I got way more of the things to worry about I’ve always been sort of an introvert and just really enjoying my alone time and to not not really be getting it the way that I’ve you know sort of desired it it’s you know that was tough we didn’t know that becoming the champ was the end of this road and the beginning of another one we didn’t think like that we just figured we’re here it’s [Music] [Applause] over even though I solidified myself as a champion she called it a f fighting her as a rematch it was like as if I was still fighting for the belt again I felt like I was doing something so positive and good and then there was a lot of obstacles that I was overcoming that nobody really knew about ma’ are you ready ma’ are you ready [Applause] F oh rose with the right hand oh another one and then slides out of the way Rose n is leading the dance in this Fifth and Final Round 30 [Applause] seconds take down go row big that is [Applause] huge so the rematch goes the distance wow what a fight the winner by unanimous decision and still the Undisputed UFC strawweight champion of the world Thug Rose [Music] [Applause] no I spent so many years thinking about this one thing now what do I think about how does she handle the pressure of being the champion there’s a lot of eyes on you and there’s a lot of [Music] [Applause] [Applause] expectations mentally going into that fight I didn’t feel 100% confident I was very scattered and all over the place Undisputed UFC strawweight champion Thug Rose nunis per last effort a unanimous decision successful title defense against Yan J in the first round of that fight with andr I was Landing every shot I was feeling like this must be too good to be true but she CED me one good time and all those negative voices started to come out too much one moment later got lifted up and I felt like I was being carried by angels and then black like a flash of [Music] black I didn’t know how scared everybody else was until a few moments later and then I felt really bad because I’ve been in all situations where somebody that I care about something scary happens like that I feel bad for my coaches and Pat and all my friends and family watching like that was obviously hard to watch good to see Rose n un just get up I was very worried about her neck with the way that she fell it was just disbelief at first I just couldn’t believe it Trevor Whitman and Pat Barry talking to Rose Nam Unice who is on the stool that was a big eye opener in just what can happen that’s what I’ve been scared of all these years that was probably the the most difficult fight to watch when Jessica dropped throws that was the longest two minutes in my life the winner by knockout and new Undisputed UFC dra Weight champion of the world any thoughts on a crazy epic championship fight here tonight um it’s just a huge pressure off my shoulder so yeah what is she alluded to meaning the great pressure off the belt it’s got to be the belt she didn’t want the belt that takedown was horrific I would like to ask if you think uh you have solid arguments to ask for a rematch yeah um I’ve been hearing it and uh I definitely was whooping her but there’s no doubt about that um I just kind of like I don’t know just we see if I’m still interested in this I mean I know I could beat her but I just I don’t know but what do you mean what do you mean about that are you not considering to run for the title again no just I just want to do something else in my life right now like retirement I don’t know it’s uh we’ll see I was not in a good place in my life I was just kind of doing it I was kind of burnt out and sort of not really confident in myself and and that’s why I decided that I didn’t want to do it anymore I was wandering through the Wilderness in my life where I was upset that I was free but I was still suffering R go over there so I can see you put that stupid Bear Down [Music] R lots of stuff going on Growing Up um a lot of stuff I’ve sort of blocked out out too my parents separated and then my mom remarried with my stepdad everything changed at that moment he was abusive you know he was just a messed up guy now say I am an idiot he was physically abusive to me and he molested my sister and that was um that was like really hard to come to terms with I just wanted to lock on my room on my door it is some nasty stuff you know everything in me wanted to like go and strangle him like at that moment right then and there and like not let him tap that’s definitely the worst thing you can do to a person is to you know sexually molest them and that’s um Unforgivable for anybody so and especially someone who’s so young and innocent SL you’re not funny yes you are luckily I had met Pat early in my career and um he helped me a lot with that he was the first person I told whereas um my mom that was a little more difficult to talk to her about it just because you know your whole mission in life is try to protect your children and like make the best life for them so she probably felt very terrible about that um of course she does I didn’t even know till she told me she already moved out you know and [Music] um she was what 19 or 20 when she told me that something happened so I had no idea that’s the whole reason why I never told her in the first place because I didn’t want her to feel like uh responsible or anything like that or feel that pain you know but I felt like yeah it’s it’s you got to know you have to know the [Music] truth [Music] the journey toward rediscovering my purpose started with going back to Lithuania get back in touch with my roots I hadn’t seen my grandmother in like 6 [Music] years [Laughter] my grandfather was a champion wrestler and he had to wrestle for the Soviet Union team and not for his own country and so I’m a product of lithuania’s fighting spirit and my fighting is also a product of that as well it runs in my veins [Music] [Music] coming back here to Lithuania and getting back to my family and while I was out there I got approached with an opportunity to visit some kids fighting [Music] cancer [Music] this to me I draw more inspiration from that it’s like I’m fighting for so much but they’re fighting to be able to just have a good day and just have another day and so to see that to put some smile on their faces I for sure just didn’t even think twice about jumping on that opportunity the last time I was here was sort of in the beginning of my [Applause] career I love basketball I uh I played um basketball in high school and I feel like if you’re Lithuanian you kind of like it’s you don’t have a choice you know to come out here and to like meet people and everybody’s taken away by how much people care out here I don’t know what the future holds but I do know that this marks a new chapter in my [Music] life [Music] it was almost like subconsciously we knew there was something looming I think I was just emotionally a wreck especially like losing my belt because I was just like I’m so depressed I’m not even in position to like just be happy as a normal person coming out of that deep ass hole that she was in that she got slammed into that’s that was that was not easy man the emotional mental Journey that started right then and there and event like that can dictate the rest of your life like getting knocked out with you every day forever like it there’s no day that it [Music] doesn’t this is the main event [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] in introducing course an amazing CH the Challenger make goldway mean she definitely has the skills but does she have the like the mental Edge like you know that’s the main thing ladies you both know the rules you both know what I expect protect yourself at all times follow my instruction at all times Fight Hard fight fair fight clean touch gloves back your [Music] corners just need to keep that speed [Music] up it might be a problem for she can’t stay in the pocket [Applause] like need [Applause] he tried as hard as he [Applause] could Lee makes his take long to do [Applause] so it took less than a minute to win a UFC [Applause] [Music] Championship when I finally did all that soul searching that I did I was ready to fight again and I knew even though I had been offered to fight way for another title shot I felt as though I needed to avenge my loss against andr in order to feel ready for that I was excited for that fight but it was a lot going from being like retired to all of a sudden now facing like my demons of the last fight but then Co hit and we had a family member that passed away from Co we’re locked in our house we’re like what the heck is happening it was really tough it was really weird it was a weird time you know Co or Co I decided let’s just do it I kind of just took a leap of faith ladies and gentlemen this fight is three rounds in the UFC strawweight [Music] Division I was looking into her eyes and I just felt something like shark that smells blood and goes in for the attack oh huge right for nunas outstanding distance management from Rose nunas he studed the tape studied the first match what she did wrong straight jobs good right hand there as well I ran right over her but the punch that broke my nose I definitely grew up in that moment I think I matured in that Split Second because I decided you’re going to have to kill me you know know what I [Music] mean I’m not even going to try to survive this I’m going to actually just keep trying to win so you this nose for the winner by Split Decision Rose [Music] n I found one of theultimate fighter Clips which I I wanted to show you like it sounds terrible but I enjoy hurting people like that’s just a side of me for me it’s nothing personal you know what I’m saying like I like I can be like we’re all cool and stuff but there is like at the same time like I say I enjoy hurting people like but I don’t think I always will like I think it’s just something that you know from your from my past like I was the one being hurt you know and that’s kind of what you’re taught you know and then you kind of want to hurt other people cuz that’s all you know I don’t know if you’re not a little messed up in the head then I don’t know I think you’re doing the wrong thing it’s really what I would like to do to the person that did something to me you know that’s really what is not people in general it’s like no this 40 00:48:56,719 –> 00:49:00,759 I remember that day I don’t remember me saying I don’t think it’ll always be like that and it’s uh very true I must have must have known what known what the future holds because there’s definitely days where I don’t uh enjoy doing this at all it’s been a long journey in order to like overcome all the the pain and Trauma and things and there’s a difference between abuse and and fighting abuse is just kind of one-sided so and there’s no decision to I’m willingly doing this where abuse takes place there’s lots of lies and manipulation and there’s not much truth in it and so in a fight you have to face all the lies everything is just truth you can’t make up a fight and you can’t manipulate anything you know fighting is two people competing it’s two people knowingly you know putting everything on the line I think dealing with traumatic situ situations in life in general can definitely make your perspective on life very negative and if you keep that negative lens in front of your eyes you’re always going to attract just abusive situations and it’s just going to be this repetitive pattern that you’ll never get out of so if you can slowly chip away at the negativity with positivity and with love you know connecting with God having faith connecting to your higher power your Source it’s always a lifelong journey but it’s something that can be done and and that all starts with you know finding the good in yourself and loving yourself and eventually you can attract love around [Music] you I was so excited it’s your little pink dress on yeah [Music] like oh dang probably my biggest success in life is building a team around me from coaches you know family members just a huge support system and no is you look the same family is 100% the most important thing and uh you know loving each other and just uh being in the present [Music] moment of all this stuff I remember him playing the piano [Music] [Laughter] [Music] I think relationships is probably the biggest um resource that we can all have in this life and so uh so that’s probably my biggest [Music] accomplishment [Music] coming off of the fight with andr with a broken nose I kind of had to rehab that but I was instantly thinking about fighting wayy right after wayy Jang is a world champion Fighter the Way’s the real de this is an extremely dangerous fight Rose does not have the luxury of taking one second off she can’t make one mistake way is that dangerous I had trained really hard for the and rematch and I still came out with an injury that I’d never sustained even close in a fight so I was like like way took out andr fairly easily so if andr did that to me I got to be on my game so I was super motivated for that fight boom I’m here I got my position now look at she has her hand on the ground so I’m going to kind of pull her forward now I’m com to the back now you can follow up however you want as far as your control goes yeah okay good MMA all right A lot of people just think fighting but the martial arts encumbers far more than just the fight it’s it’s tying everything together your spirit your emotions your your mental and the physical all tying together and her being a musician ties in that part of her ability to find Rhythm and being able to move very light on her feet and have a very unique unpredictable and very methodical footwork and so everything kind of ties in together so there’s so much of the art the martial art that she really Embraces training with Greg Nelson definitely is one of the best things that happened to me in my martial arts Journey mentally spiritually I mean he’s he’s definitely one of the strongest people that I’ve ever known and he is a huge source of strength and a big role model in my life and my [Music] career welcome to the UFC 261 press conference from the visce Star Veterans Memorial Arena in anticipation of the spectacular Pay-Per-View fight C so lead leading up to the fight with wayy I did a Lithuania interview you L us basically we were discussing my Inspirations behind what gets me motivated and I’m like I I have more motivation in this fight than ever and I kind of wanted to educate my training partner um Chico Kus on uh the Lithuanian struggle and like just the history of it all and um so we watched the other Dream Team just to kind of get like a overall sentiment of what we fight for and um so just the after watching that it was just a huge reminder of like yeah it’s better better dead than red you know and I think um I don’t think it’s any coincidence that way is red you know she’s uh that’s what she represents it’s nothing personal against her but um that’s a huge motivating factor of why I fight and I fight for freedom I was referencing the the kind of comment that was made when the tanks were rolling in saying hey man it’s better to die than to be read or to let and that at that time was communism Rosa’s comments weren’t directed at way they didn’t have anything to do with her Rosa speak to me about her own personal experiences and her reasons for getting up in the morning way hears these things and the media spun it around and made this big crazy headline how did that make you feel and has that give you kind of extra motivation for this fight or anything uh she’s not too much into uh rol comments uh she she’s just focused of being an athlete and don’t want to get into this kind of topic uh maybe this is a kind of way Rose to overcome her fair to fight uh she and Rose and all other Fighters they are different nationality different races uh different religions this is a great platform to to know each other through fighting rather than uh what Rose had said people took it as like I’m personally attacking wayy she’s just representing what demons that I have in my past that I’m constantly dealing with every day one for Rose uh Rose we know how difficult it is to become a UFC champion that climb up to doing it what would it mean to you to achieve that goal twice and reclimb your way back to the Belt it would mean that um I believe uh that I’m right in what I believe and that when I do my best I am the best it means that uh if God wants me to be the champion I’ll be the [Music] champion time there was a time a couple of years ago when Thug Rose nunis was sort of a reluctant UFC strawweight champion she felt somewhat liberated when she relinquished the title to Jessica andrj but she believes that this time around her preparation is the best that she has ever put forth and that has given her a tremendous amount of confidence as she tries to prove that when she does her best she indeed is the [Applause] best so here is the Undisputed UFC strawweight champion Shan way Lee 5-0 in the UFC she has won remarkably 21 consecutive fights she represents a nation understands that her position as a champion as a champion from China is so enormous she got booed from the beginning of her walkout song all the way until the refs had fight given all the agulation and adoration that Jong Lee has received I think she was a little bit surprised here on foreign soil to be greeted by those boo she thinks Rose is like a master manipulator somehow and she made these comments knowing that the crowd was going to turn on whe they’re not booing you whe professional record they’re booing whoever Rose is fighting the crowd loves Rose they don’t dislike wheie they dislike anyone who Rose is going up against I’ve always had this belief that when I do my best I am the best and still those negative voices try to creep in I was worried about getting hurt get losing getting embarrassed all these things but I was just so ready touchs if you like let’s fight I’m going to just replace those thoughts with I’m I’m fighting with myself that I’m the best I’m the best and I’ve did my best so there’s no way that I can’t be the best right now fight early jab from Jean waye waye Now with an inside leg kick throwing hard early right away what you see is how pinpoint and methodical Rose’s footwork is one of the things that we talked about John was the importance of rose’s movement she’s got to be light on her feet she’s got to create a lot of angles way came out and she kicked rose on the inside of her leg probably five times I was dancing on the outside she was kicking my leg um it was fast but I could tell like I did the calculations it’s like how fast it came it was like yeah I can’t let 10 more of these land without doing something about it but at the same time I also know she’s focusing 100% of her effort into being this fast just based on how it felt whe in her head knows that kick is eventually coming back rose knows this when someone throws a kick over and over they expect that same kick to come back and Rose kind of looks down her her knee is even pointed down a little bit then waye moves her lower body away opens up her upper body to evade and just totally opens up the chin as soon as she stopped moving and way he goes okay here comes something looked like it was going low those inside Lo it’s almost like the strings of a marionette just fall I saw the opening and Bam and then yeah finish her oh un as many style points as produ oh my goodness out of nowhere oh she’s fall she saiding no but she’s mad but she still can’t even stand she’s so [Music] wobbly who the best I’m the best who the best I’m the best you’ve been the best she was saying that before to fight to herself I’m the best I’m the best you were so focused before the fight started you were standing over there and as Bruce Buffer was saying your name you were saying to yourself I’m the best I’m the best I am the best you certainly are there’s no doubt about that now exactly what I’ve been saying about her since we met man that girl is the best ever that girl is the best ever bro I don’t even want to call it unbelievable it’s very believable I think there’s this idea out there you know how does Rose feel about all the attention that comes with having the belt you want it to be different this time around can you just discuss that a little bit now that it is around your waist yeah um I want to you know produce fruit with with this you know with the seed that I’ve been given so so um I just want to get back and and I think that’s that’s going to be the main focus right now hey I’m the luckiest dude ever I wake up every day next to Rose man the first time we sparred was when she really got by attention and I’m I got hit boom like she stung the out me like God damn what what was that all right so we keep on moving and the same punch again boom it’s like what the is hit like what’s what’s hitting me third time she hit me boom I just snuck like St right in the head and as soon as I hit her boom she hit me T boom boom like right back like she took my punch and I remember thinking to myself I’m in love my career is over like I knew it I knew in that round that we did that this was the beginning of my career at the end of that round I remember telling her you have everything it takes to be the best in the world we’re definitely meant for each other he’s my guardian angel you know what I mean he’s everything to me so I don’t know I guess I guess it’s hard to put in into words you know um he’s my best friend thank you very much Jean wayy we look forward to seeing you again inside the Octagon Jean Way Le ladies and gentlemen and you can be sure DC it’ll be quite an encore from Jan way Lee but this will be a long trip home she’s got a ton of time but boy does the night belong to Thug Rose nunis I already had that situation with Yana the first time where where everybody called it a fluke and then it was almost like me getting a do over so I came out of the first fight pretty unscathed so yeah I felt like I wanted to stay more active and um I got the call about a rematch right away and um yeah I was just ready to go most of the people I’ve trained throughout my career has been a whole bunch of ego you know I ain’t scared you know and you almost have to fake it till you make it in this [Music] sport she does it so different it’s complete opposite when she doesn’t feel it she’s she’s completely truthful about it to be able to be honest and and understand that chasing your fear facing your fear is the key to everything you do to be [Applause] great wonderful that to me is why we fight Rose is a unique individual because she’s true definition of what it is to be a human because as a human being we have so many different sides to us and one day we could be happy one day we could be sad one day we could be angry and I think Rose is the type that will walk into the practice room she’ll cried out and 5 minutes later is killing the pads you know she’s emotional we’re all emotional but um she wears her heart on her sleeve in a way and I think that allows uh the Primal instincts to to come through sorry all good I never really gotten hurt up until I fought Jessica andr the fear that I had had was knowing that anything’s possible I thought I was being careful but you can only be so careful so I guess I’m the Ray Charles Stevie Wonder of MMA now because uh I found out that I have a detached retina last week in practice one round I was going with somebody and I had their back and the back of their head hit my eyebrow and uh I do remember that Collision happening later that night I noticed like a flash of light on the side of my peripheral so I like looked it up and it was like you could have a detached retina you could go blind and all that we don’t really know like what the extent of it is is or like how how bad is it or yeah we have no idea but it’s still I me it’s still a big [Music] deal good afternoon R are you Miss namama J yeah am I saying that correctly yeah yeah yes hello nice to meet you I’m so sorry to hear that your eyes not been doing so well but let’s come and take a look okay yeah sounds good down I’ll [Music] okay thank you very much thank you thank you right thanks again d yeah thank you so much have a good one have a good one we’re going to get double checked but uh he didn’t see what the other opthalmologist saw that’s some d d man you are super Rose boy I hate it man you are stressing me out man [Music] we got checked out by another specialist he approved us to have this fight I am still seeing a little flash but it’s not like as bad and um he just told me to take a week or two to let symptoms calm down and and uh try not to take any jarring motions or contact and things like that until until everything’s calm yeah so here’s the guard started I’ve always wanted to be a farmer ever since I was a little kid I’ve always loved growing vegetables flowers everything like that I’ll do my morning runs here and back it’s just a beautiful run I get to get my miles in I get to enjoy better nutrition I get to know where my food’s coming from so I don’t have to worry about pesticides and things um my body functions a lot better and it’s just a lot of fun but I mean it is a lot of work too this IE scare I think is the thing that’s going to up her game because now there’s more urgency to be better now there’s more urgency to finish the fight sooner now there’s more urgency to be more defensive there’s more urgency to get in and get out as soon as possible we just went through we for real her it was over we she retired was going to be a oneeyed farmer like we went through all this in 24 hours I think that’s the type of thing to scare you straight that’s what I [Music] think it’s a process getting ready for a fight it’s really traumatic you’re in a fight ORF flight mode all the time and you magnify everything in your mind especially with my eye there’s moments where I I seriously need to go see a psychiatrist or something the other day I was having episode where there’s this drill we was doing reminded me of when I got dropped on my neck because I wasn’t totally on point with it and so I got into this whole traumatic face cuz I’m like I’m not protecting myself at all times like that’s my job and I’m crying for like you know probably 2 days straight and then I make it to this big huge thing I’m not a champion all this when we’re going into a battle as a human you could start to doubt yourself the doubts creep in can I really do this am I good enough can I do it and for her to be able to channel that and say yo I’m the best I can do it I can do it I can do it it’s a battle that every human being fights and she’s a living example of that to being able to go in there conquer that fear that’s telling you that you’re not good enough that you can’t do it just the negative voice in my head she keeps me on my toes she keeps you ready but if she’s controlling all the time if that voice is always in the lead I’ll never do anything she’s gotten better like she’s stronger than she was last fight physically stronger we there has to be a limit to that that girl is strong as a dude right now MH more important mentally she’s stronger yeah she has them moments where she you know like we were wondering when she’s going to feel like crying again but she passed that and it’s she’s on she had a second where she was starting to lose it but P it pull it right back frustrated starting to but then she shut that up and she’s on she chose not [Music] [Music] [Applause] to [Music] so we just made it into New York City it’s good to be back here uh I love the cities it’s always um great to be here we just checked in got our rooms we just found out that one of the coaches had had tested positive so we’re uh you know turns out even if it’s a false positive it’s a done deal so so we’re pretty much just going to be Trevor Pat Chico and myself beautiful head time very nice every training camp starts out and it goes amazingly but the closer you get to the top of the mountain the fewer people can be up there so Fighters tend to make their Circle smaller they get more isolated I mean that’s that’s not everybody other Fighters are out at strip clubs right now having parties I the way that Rose does it is she becomes very very very secluded Rose is an into big crowds which is weird CU she’s a world champion fighter but she’s not in a big crowd she doesn’t really even want people looking at [Applause] her and now she’s on stage in the middle of a bunch of characters who obviously have all of their lines scripted and rehearsed the only thing that was broken is you broke your daddy out of jail oh really okay why did you why did you go back to your corner in the third round and tell your corner I my is broken I sh was nuts that’s the I mean I’ve been to a lot of uh press conferences but I’ve never that’s the most intense one that I’ve ever been to which one is it hey both of them let’s go right now let’s go right now let’s all sit down Kobe comington is just talking so loud and um I’m just trying to stay focused and um saying the Lord’s Prayer confidence I conditioning composure content I’m the Champion you just won’t be your strongest self when you’re not in control of yourself her affirmations her own self-belief that’s always been her source of comfort you know uh her spirituality that’s what she relies on rose has to be completely centered completely in her own skin and right there in the moment I got a a question for you Rose you know in April you were a pretty big Underdog and you knocked her flat on her back and knocked her ass out and you’re still an underdog what’s your opinion on that and people saying that maybe you didn’t deserve to win that more than you just caught her uh I don’t really concern myself with every what everyone else thinks um yeah that doesn’t matter to me it’s a pretty intense situation she handled it spectacularly last question this is for Rose do you feel like you’re still the hunter or you’re being hunted I’m the Champion I’m the best [Music] UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden um obviously huge fight for Rose this is where she had one of the best nights of her career when she won the title the first time in a fight that no one thought she could now she’s the champion again and coming back and defending it against uh way Le who she took it from New York City what is happened we got a fantastic C for you ladies and gentlemen for the pro weight championship of the world it’s a tough fight I think wayy is uh very physical very well prepared and I think Rose is going to have to fight at her absolute best to win I I’m actually leaning way Lee right [Applause] [Music] now theing on this the world Rose almost seems like she’s the more fragile of the two she’s the Matador that’s the role that she plays in her fight but when the bow get gets a hold of her you know bad things can happen to her that’s why her fights are so interesting because it’s always like on this Cliff of Rose you know painting a picture then all of a sudden you know that car crash happens when with a physical opponent and you saw that with Jessica onr Rose’s journey is is just so unique and you know what she’s feeling you know that she’s struggling through it you know that this is something that she’s having to conquer all the time and people really have grown attached to that of course you know a lot of people would say that they’re afraid to go into a fight you know and think about it all week and have all that pressure and Rose talks about it acknowledges it openly struggles with it you know um and so then when she conquers it you can just see the whole story unfold cuz Rose you know allows you to she’s doing pretty good I mean the whole thing with rose is like I said it’s never physical it’s always uh keeping the mind right and um it’s been a pretty smooth week she’s as fully prepared as I needed her to be in my opinion he feeling good and just upstairs resting right now rehydrating and uh fueling up we didn’t sleep last night like at all no no we we cut weight from 7 to 1: and then uh laid in bed and stayed awake all night till this morning live from Madison Square Garden in New York New York this is UFC [Music] 268 this is where it’s fun for me because I do get front row to pay attention to just greatness she’s just brilliant she’s a brilliant person the way she plays the piano she’s an artist in everything she does and I’m confident she’s going to make another [Applause] Picasso I’m the best it is a championship fight night and that means Thug Rose has been activated here is the UFC straway champion Rose Nunes with her patented phrase I’m the best it’s been a journey for Rose nunas to be where she is today it’s tremendous to see her complete her journey not only as a person but as a champ also she’s got an amazing mind I mean this whole thing this I’m the best thing she means that she believes that Rose nunz Rises to the occasion like very few others whether or not she can do it again and whether or not Jean Way Le can make the correct adjustments that’s that’s where we’re going to find out these title fights man they’re so exciting In This Crowd it makes you like your Skin’s crawling oh big left hand St now a Unice for Jean Way Le to get two takedowns in two rounds is a big positive for her and aggressive you go out there and you dial in your head you’re a 628 01:21:25,639 –> 01:21:27,960 [Music] CH save the kicks for when you know the kicks are going to connect [Music] [Music] take a deep breath it’s 5 minutes left everything you’ve been training to do everything that we’ve been working on 5 minutes go out there and enjoy this moment you are the best in the world this is what we talked about your spirit for the next 5 minutes you stay a professional for the next 5 minutes 5 minutes you be a professional what a joy to watch Chico came as Pat Barry and Trevor Whitman work that corner Fifth and final round they are on their feet at Madison Square Garden these five minutes will determine who walks out of this famed Arena as the Undisputed UFC strawweight [Applause] champion bang nice just like that have that foot ready back foot ready touch a quick touch a great touch touch [Applause] it big take down for Thug Rose aditt it into round five huge absolutely huge that is a massive taked down by Rose Nunes for second on as many attempts in the fight gigantic moment [Music] h [Music] [Music] [Applause] all right we await the judge’s scorecards it looks as though they have now been tallied ladies and gentlemen after five rounds we go to the judges scorecards for decision Michael Bell scores the contest 48 47 Wy Doug Crosby scores it 4847 nunas and Eric Cohen scores the contest 4946 for the winner by split decision and still the Undisputed UFC drawe champion of the world HG Rose [Music] no well congratulations amazing fight and still ladies and gentlemen Rose [Applause] nunas [Music] I love Rose she has since I became a fan of MMA she had my heart her heart is in it she’s pure there’s nobody that embodies I think what this Ford is all about when I think of it I think of Rose I know that this whole game is greater than winning or losing in a moment it’s about the long game it’s about staying in the fight I have to tell myself the same affirmations I have to tell myself all the time I’m worthy I’m good enough I deserve to be here so when Rose gets off doing that it goes straight to my heart straight to my heart my sister-in-law was like what’s the difference between wearing the belt around your shoulder and around your waist cuz she shown me a picture of me in Madison Square Garden when I first won the belt that’s around my shoulder the actual reason that was around my shoulder when I first won it was because the belt didn’t fit me like literally like it was not the right size belt then it didn’t fit physically but also psychologically I needed to grow into the belt fast forward to now and I got the new belt and it’s around my waist and it does fit so I think it’s just symbolic of me growing into the belt and growing into myself not just physically but also psychologically way more patient way more mature way more grateful and I’m a lot more happy now she stands 5′ 5 in all weighing in at 114 and 1/2 lb thog RS [Music] no it’s all about keeping each other on track and holding each other accountable that makes the ship running you know it’s it’s me and there fighting but it’s all of us we’re all a team family friends teammates coaches all that stuff so if Mom and I say positive affirmations together it’s not much more [Music] powerful [Music] for Champion [Music] [Music] and no UFC Undisputed strong Weight champion of the world col [Music] Esposa I’ve definitely thought about my fighting career and my life as floating down a river sometimes there’s Beauty and peace and quiet and then a lot of the time though there’s Rapids Rocks and bumpy things that you got to get around and not let let the current take you right so I’m going to keep pushing forward keep believing in myself and have faith that The Best Is Yet To Come [Music] ready yeah wait till you get in the shower that’s going to feel so cool that’s so crazy but it why is it so crazy it’s just it’s just hair right just hair yeah but for some reason that’s a big deal know what do I’m sorry my hair is all wet I just got the shower oh man pretty [Music] brave wait it’s just hair right change is good yeah it’s just like constant constant uh worrying about it and I damag it my whole life you know just putting in rubber bands every day in your face you knowbe better fighter person you it’s just like all the pressure in the society to make women or to make women feel like they got to have parents the world’s going to lose their mind when they see that to be pretty yeah like what’s the what’s wrong about hey your hair looks exactly like mine right now oh my [Music] God