Coronavirus deaths in family forced Rose Namajunas out of UFC 249 -

Nobody is immune to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Whether or not we are an at risk group or not, chances are we know somebody who is. Sadly, this played a part in Rose Namajunas withdrawing from UFC 249, as two deaths in the family related to the Coronavirus affected her decision.

The news of Namajunas’ withdrawal came out yesterday. It was known that personal reasons affected the decision-making, though not that it was something to this extent. Brian Butler of Namajunas’ management group SuckerPunch Entertainment revealed the tragic news via social media.

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“Immediate release: Rose Namajunas withdrew from UFC 249 due to 2 deaths in the family related to the Coronavirus,” Butler wrote. “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.”

Namajuns was slated to face Jessica Andrade in a rematch of their 2019 meeting. Andrade won that fight via second round knockout, a loss that hit Namajuans hard. Andrade would not manage to successfully defend her title, however, as she was knocked out in the first round by Weili Zhang in her next fight.

As UFC 249 was cancelled all in all, Namajunas pulling out doesn’t affect the event. However it only strengthens the sentiment that we, collectively, must all support each other in these dire times.

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