Rose Namajunas Suffers Eye Injury After UFC 324 Fight
Rose Namajunas faces a challenging recovery period after sustaining an eye injury during her fight at UFC 324. Following her unanimous decision loss to Natalya Silva, she shared via Instagram that she was poked in the eye multiple times.
The two-time former UFC women’s strawweight champion explained in a video that she had to undergo canalicular surgery. This procedure was necessary to repair the damage done to her eyelid’s tear drainage system after the incident during the fight on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the video, Namajunas showed visible swelling and discoloration beneath her left eye.
“Please pray for everyone. I’m so glad we were able to resolve the issue,” she stated in her update.
Namajunas, who has had three wins in her last five matches, discussed her experience further during an appearance on “Ariel Helwani Show.” In her comments, she expressed certain regrets about not appealing a possible points deduction due to the eye poke, sharing insights about her recovery process.
Pat Barry, her fiancé and training partner, noted that the injury involved an eye poke that damaged her eyelid and reached her tear duct. He mentioned that Namajunas would have to live with a silicone tube in her eye for three months and, amusingly, would be unable to sneeze or blow her nose during that time.
“This is crazy,” she said in the video. “I won’t be able to blow my nose for three months, so it’s going to be tough.” Namajunas, in reflecting on her recent fight, wished that she had informed the referee about the eye poke when it happened.
Despite the loss to Silva, who remains undefeated in her eight UFC fights, Namajunas recognizes the unpredictability of the sport. “I got poked in the eye in the second round,” she recounted. “After that, I couldn’t see and got a bit upset.” Looking at the fight now, she sees how many times it happened and feels a bit trapped by the situation, acknowledging that accidents occur but promoting a desire for stricter penalties for such incidents to encourage greater caution in the ring.
