Better Dead Than Red
Rose Namajunas fought Weili Zhang for the UFC strawweight title in 2021. However, she attracted criticism when she used the phrase ‘better dead than red’ about Zhang. This is an old Cold War expression that relates to the grim living conditions of Soviet communism.

Namajunas expanded: “I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Weili is red, that’s what she represents. It’s nothing personal against her, but that’s a huge motivating factor of why I fight” (via SCMP). Many UFC fans thought she was unfair and disrespectful to her Chinese opponent.