Rose Namajunas has had to undergo surgery on her left eye after suffering damage due to repeated eyepokes during a unanimous decision defeat to Natalia Silva at UFC 324 last weekend.
“I’m headed into surgery,” Namajunas said on Instagram just a few days after the fight. “Canalicular tube surgery. I got poked in the eye a few times in the fight. But my tube is torn so it’s going to be repaired right now. I’m going to have a silicone tube in my eye. Three months, so pray for me guys. Just glad we can get it fixed.”
Namajunas’ long-time partner Pat Barry revealed on The Ariel Helwani Show that one eye-poke had opened up a cut from her eyelid to her tear duct.
As a result surgery was required to implant a silicone tube in her eye, which will restore tear drainage and give space for the wound to heal.
Unfortunately for Namajunas, this means she’ll now have to keep that tube in her eye for three months, during which time she’s forbidden from sneezing or blowing her nose.
Aside from the damage she suffered from the accidental eyepokes, the fight with Silva itself was relatively uneventful, with both fighters struggling to stamp their authority on the fight over three rounds.
However, Silva did enough in the judges eyes to win by unanimous decision, leaving the former strawweight champ Namajunas with a 3-3 record since moving up to flyweight in 2023.
