"It was my f**king fault" - When Pat Barry admitted he hurt Rose Namajunas' UFC career with his alcohol and prescription pill addiction
Pat Barry, fiance to former women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas, once revealed his past struggles with addiction and how that negatively impacted Namajunas' career.
Their relationship, spanning over a decade, has weathered its share of storms. Back in 2016, while training Brock Lesnar in Minnesota, Barry indulged in a post-training pizza outing that escalated into a drunken altercation, ultimately, his arrest. This incident occurred weeks before Namajunas' crucial UFC 201 fight, ultimately leading to their temporary separation.
'Thug Rose' went on to lose that fight via split decision. Witnessing the loss on television live, Barry fixated on every misstep in her performance and was convinced that his absence and addiction were solely to be blamed. In an interview on The MMA Hour, 'HD' recounted the incident and stated:
"Go back to any of Rose's performances that didn't seem quite right. It was me. I was the outside distraction. This guy. Any performance. I'm not talking about just fighting. Any interview that seemed off and weird, any post on social media, it was my f**king fault. So I said, I'm not doing that no more. She should 've been world champ two years ago. It was me. I didn't know it was me, but it was me."
Check out Pat Barry discuss the incident in the interview below (16:13):
Rose Namajunas is slated to headline UFC Vegas 89 against Amanda Ribas
Rose Namajunas makes a crucial return to the flyweight division as she takes on Amanda Ribas in the headline fight of UFC Vegas 89 on Mar 23 at the UFC Apex.
'Thug Rose' boasts an impressive resume, having captured the strawweight title twice. However, she'll be looking to snap a two-fight skid after suffering back-to-back losses. Her flyweight debut last year ended in a unanimous decision defeat against Manon Fiorot.
On the other hand, Ribas, who is currently No.9-ranked in the women's flyweight division, has fought and gained enough experience in both strawweight and flyweight divisions. She is riding on a wave of momentum after securing a decisive third-round TKO victory over Luana Pinheiro.