A Star (Good Person) is Born

On Saturday night, in Madison Square Garden, an aspiring good person stepped out into the light. It was in New York City where Rose Namajunas shocked the fighting world with her first round knockout of champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk.

Even if you do not like the fight game, stick with me, because you need to know about Ms. Namajunas. I have been a fan of mixed martial arts for 20 years. And, while I understand how some can say the sport is too violent, I believe the most fascinating part is the psychology.

In fact, I enjoy watching behind-the-scenes more than the actual fights. This is where Saturday's fight was so special. Entering the fight, the Polish Jędrzejczyk (pronounced young-jay-check) was widely considered the pound-for-pound best female fighter on the planet.

With an undefeated record of 14-0, it appeared as if Joanna was unbeatable. In addition to her stellar skills, Jędrzejczyk is also a master at talking trash. Mental warfare, as we might call it, was recently taken to new levels by Conor McGregor. But, make no mistake, Joanna is also excellent at messing with her opponents heads.

On Saturday, Jędrzejczyk was a 6-to-1 favorite to win the fight.

Now, I have been watching Namajunas (pronounced naw-maw-you-ness) for quite a while. But, even still, Rose is only 25 years old. Which seems too young to thoroughly dismantle the best fighter in the world. Rose is a women of fascinating complexity and contradictions.

You see, Namajunas has never hidden the fact that she has a family history of mental illness. Her father was not really a part of her life because he suffered from schizophrenia. A fact Jędrzejczyk seemed to be attacking when she called Namajunas "mentally unstable."

Perhaps to the contrary, Saturday seemed to prove Rose's remarkable stability. My words will not do her justice. I would rather you hear from Namajunas herself. So, I will provide you with the links to a couple of short videos. But, let me mention one more interesting tidbit.

Rose's nickname is "Thug." And, she can definitely sound pretty gangsta when she talks. That said, you would never guess the song she selected for her walk to the ring. She chose Sweet Freedom by Michael McDonald! (Though the PA messed up and played something else. Just another adversity Namajunas was able to overcome.)

After the fight, when asked about one key to her success, Rose said, "Always controlling my breathing. Not paying attention to feelings, as much. Feelings are just feelings. They should guide you, but they shouldn't control you. You can chose whatever thoughts you want."

Brava Rose, brava!

You have got to hear Rose speak. Click here to watch her interview from inside the cage. And, click here to listen-in as Namajunas speaks with the commentators at Fox.

Watch those two videos, especially the second one, and listen to the wisdom pour out of this young woman. A lot of athletes are full of clichés. This young lady pours forth with interesting insight.

Make no mistake, I am a fan of Conor McGregor. But, I stand, and applaud, Miss Namajunas for being her authentic, best self.