What is the age difference between Rose Namajunas and partner Pat Barry? Here's why their relationship is a source of MMA controversy
UFC women's strawweight Rose Namajunas is a two-time champion and has three successful title defenses under her belt.
The 31-year old is engaged to Pat Barry, a former UFC heavyweight fighter, and their relationship has been a source of controversy for a while.
Barry is 44 years old and the two have a 13-year age gap and met at Duke Roufus' gym, Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They allegedly met when Namajunas was 14 or 15 years old.
UFC middleweight challenger Sean Strickland has been openly critical of the relationship and accused Pat Barry of grooming his student. He has also confronted the two about their relationship according to Chris Curtis.
"It was my debut fight, we were on the bus and Rose and Pat are there. And Sean just immediately starts going in and it just doesn't stop. And we're on the way to the venue and I'm like, 'Bro, I'm in my own head, they are in their own head.' She lost that fight and that's the one they blamed you for, right?... In all fairness I'm with Rose on this one. We are on our way to the f***ing thing and Sean is like, 'So how old was she?'"
Check out Chris Curtis' full comments on YouTube below [33:51]:
Pat Barry addresses the controversy surrounding his age difference with Rose Namajunas
Pat Barry has attempted to clarify the controversy surrounding his relationship with Rose Namajunas.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Barry stated that Namajunas met him at Roufusport when she rejoined the gym aged older than 14 or 15.
Pat Barry blamed a reporter who wrongly portrayed the facts from an old interview of Rose Namajunas. He said:
“This whole Sean Strickland thing that is all over the place everywhere. Years ago, Rose did an interview and said ‘I joined Roufusport when I was 14 years ago, and then I left Roufusport for a few years. Then I came back to Roufusport, to pursue my MMA career, and that’s where I met my fiancee Pat Barry.' When the guy wrote the interview up, he wrote ‘Rose Namajunas joined Rufussport when she was 14 years old where she met her fiance Pat Barry, when she was 14 years old.'"
Check out his full comments in the interview on YouTube [1:14:10]: