Rose Namajunas is the latest UFC star to suffer the consequences of MMA’s eye-poke scourge. The former two-time champion was forced to undergo eye surgery Tuesday after sustaining a canalicular laceration in her left eye due to multiple illegal eye-pokes from her UFC 324 opponent Natalia Silva.
As a result of the surgery, Namajunas will be required to “have a tube in my eye and in my nose for three months, and I can’t blow my nose for three months,” the ex-champ told Uncrowned.
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Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the news with Namajunas’ team Tuesday just prior to her surgery.
Namajunas (14-8) ultimately lost a close unanimous decision to Silva this past Saturday in a bout to determine the next challenger for UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Per Helwani via Namajunas’ husband and longtime trainer, former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry:
“She has a canalicular laceration, which is a break in the tear drainage system of the eyelid, often caused by blunt trauma or lacerations in the inner corner of the eye, frequently resulting in persistent tearing, eyelid misalignment and redness. He says there were two eye-pokes — one of them cut the inside of her eyelid and all the way into the tear duct. Three months with a tube in her eye, no sneezing, no blowing her nose.”
A frustrated Namajunas also expressed her aggravation at the situation in a video message on Tuesday’s episode of “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
Said Namajunas:
“I’m doing good. I’m very frustrated though, I’m not going to lie. I’m upset because I got poked in the eye in the second round, couldn’t see after that, and I’m now seeing from pictures that it was multiple times. I just was so locked in that I [didn’t realize] — I wish I would’ve protested, but I was just so focused on taking her head off and I was getting momentum. So it’s just frustrating because I know accidents happen, so I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, but I’ve never poked anybody in the eye. So I feel like a point should be taken right away, because then people would be more cautious, people would be more careful and considerate of their opponent of their fellow opponent. This is crazy. I have to have a tube in my eye and in my nose for three months, and I can’t blow my nose for three months, so it’s going to be rough.”
Namajunas, 33, is one of the most decorated strawweights in UFC history, but has struggled to find that same level of success since moving up to the 125-pound division in 2023. “Thug Rose” is 3-3 in her six Octagon appearances at flyweight, beating the trio of Amanda Ribas, Tracy Cortez and Miranda Maverick, but falling short against three of the division’s top contenders: Manon Fiorot, Erin Blanchfield and most recently Silva.
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Eye-pokes — and the sport’s uninspired handling of them — have been a point of extreme contention within MMA in recent months, with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall being their most notable victim. Aspinall’s heavyweight title defense in October infamously ended in a no-contest after multiple Ciryl Gane eye-pokes left the champ unable to see properly. Aspinall has since undergone multiple eye surgeries and a timeline for his return remains uncertain.
Hopefully, Namajunas fares better on her latest road to recovery after UFC 324.
