Rose Namajunas has been medically cleared to return to training three months after suffering an eye injury in her bout against Natalia Silva at UFC 324. The former UFC strawweight champion underwent eye surgery to repair damage from an eye poke during the fight. Namajunas posted an update on social media Monday stating both her thumb and eye have fully recovered, though she is currently out of shape. She called for stricter penalties for eye pokes in MMA, suggesting fighters should be penalized even for accidental infractions given the serious long-term health consequences. The injury sidelined Namajunas for three months before she received clearance to resume training.
Rose Namajunas has been medically cleared to return to training three months after suffering a serious eye injury during her women's flyweight bout against Natalia Silva at UFC 324, the former champion announced on social media Monday.
Namajunas, 34, underwent eye surgery to repair damage caused by an eye poke during the fight. She confirmed in her social media post that both her eye and her thumb have fully healed, though she acknowledged she is currently out of shape after the extended layoff. The American fighter, who competes out of 303 Training Center, carries a 15-8 record and is currently ranked sixth in the women's flyweight division. A two-time former strawweight champion, "Thug" has shown versatility throughout her career, averaging 1.47 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 3.5 significant strikes landed per minute.
Silva, ranked fifth at women's flyweight, is a 29-year-old Brazilian southpaw competing out of Team Borracha. She holds a 20-5-1 record and has built her reputation as a volume striker, landing 4.81 significant strikes per minute at a 45 percent accuracy rate.
Alongside her health update, Namajunas used the platform to call for stricter officiating around eye pokes, arguing that fighters should face penalties even for accidental infractions given the potentially severe long-term consequences to health and vision.
Why it matters
- Namajunas and Silva are separated by just one spot in the flyweight rankings, meaning their rivalry carries direct divisional implications.
- A three-month surgical recovery highlights the real physical cost of eye poke incidents and adds weight to Namajunas's call for stricter enforcement.
- With both fighters now presumably healthy, a rematch would be a meaningful contest in a flyweight division where each win reshapes the title picture.
