By The FirstUFC contender Rose Namajunas is doubling-down on her fierce anti-Communist rhetoric after facing a backlash from far-left fans and athletes this week; saying her ideology is a motivating force behind her upcoming bout with Chinese champion Zhang Weili.
The athlete’s family is from Lithuania and recently told a media outlet there “it’s better dead than red.”
“If you’re confused about any of my opinions, you can watch the documentary and you could get a good idea as to what my family had to go through, the reason I’m in the United States today, the reason that I do mixed martial arts, all of that stuff,” Namajunas said.
“I’d probably have a really different life if it wasn’t for everything in that documentary, how Lithuanians had to struggle with communism oppression,” Namajunas added. “The reason that I brought it up and that I referenced it is because the reporter suggested I had animosity toward past opponents, and that’s what maybe caused some motivation in those fights, and in this one there’s no animosity so maybe there’s a lack of motivation. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“I love Weili,” Namajunas concluded. “I don’t know her. I know she wants to be friends and all that stuff. It would be great to get to know her, if we could, if it’s possible.”
h/t ESPN
