How long have Rose Namajunas and Pat Barry been together? How old was 'Thug' when they started dating? UFC star's relationship explained

The relationship between Rose Namajunas and Pat Barry has been a controversial topic in the world of MMA. With 13 years of age difference between them, Barry has frequently been accused of grooming a minor by Sean Strickland.

While the couple has been dating for over a decade now, the exact timeline of origin of their relationship is still shrouded in controversy to date. Barry has previously blamed the controversy on a news article that allegedly was wrong in reporting that he met Rose Namajunas when she was 14. He said:

"So here’s the deal. Really. years ago, Rose did an interview and in the interview, she said, 'I joined Roufusport when I was 14 years old, and then I left Roufusport for a few years, and then I came back to Roufusport to pursue my MMA career. And this is where I met my fiancée, Pat Barry.'

He added:

"And when the guy wrote the interview up, he wrote Rose Namajunas joined Roufusport when she was 14 years old, where she met her fiancé Pat Barry when she was 14 years old. That’s where everybody’s getting all this s**t from a botched interview.”

Catch Barry's comments below:

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"We don’t sweat that" - Pat Barry on the criticism regarding his relationship with Rose Namajunas

Sean Strickland has pestered Pat Barry to the point of confronting him in person regarding the origins of the latter's relationship with Rose Namajunas. However, Barry, who even claims to have no beef with Strickland, is seemingly not worried by the hate.

When Ariel Helwani gave him a chance to clear the air once and for all, Barry declined citing the futility in trying to correct everyone. The former UFC heavyweight said:

“Don’t have to get in touch with anybody. We know that everyone out there is going off of something that’s not right. And there’s no point trying to go and correct everyone and try to get the word out.”

Catch Barry's comments below:

During a 2014 interview with Bleacher Report, Namajunas said that she didn't remember her first meeting with Barry while the latter claimed that it was love at first sight. Barry said:

“I say we’ve been dating for more than five years, but she says two or three years."

Namajunas, who was 22 at the time, responded:

“We were apparently together a lot longer than I was aware of. It took him a while to chip away at my cold heart, but he did.”

Despite the controversy, Namajunas and Barry's relationship is going strong. Namajunas also achieved the goal of becoming a UFC champion under Trevor Wittman and Barry's guidance.

After moving up to flyweight, Namajunas lost to Manon Fiorot in her divisional debut. The 31-year-old will return to competition on March 23 against No. 8-ranked Amanda Ribas. The fight will headline the UFC Vegas 89 event.