Rose Namajunas has undergone eye surgery and received medical clearance to return to training three months after suffering an eye injury at UFC 324. The former UFC strawweight champion sustained damage from an eye poke during her fight against Natalia Silva in January. Namajunas posted an update on social media Monday stating that both her thumb and eye have fully recovered, though she is slightly out of shape. She advocated for stricter penalties for eye pokes regardless of intent, suggesting immediate point deductions to better protect fighters' long-term health. Namajunas expressed gratitude that her injury was not more severe and appears ready to resume her fighting career.
Rose Namajunas has been medically cleared to return to training following eye surgery, roughly three months after sustaining an eye injury during her women's flyweight bout against Natalia Silva at UFC 324 in January. The 34-year-old American shared the update on social media Monday, confirming that both her eye and her thumb have fully recovered, though she acknowledged being slightly out of shape after the extended layoff.
Namajunas, nicknamed "Thug," carries a 15-8-0 professional record and is currently ranked sixth in the women's flyweight division. Fighting out of 303 Training Center, the former UFC strawweight champion brings a well-rounded offensive game, averaging 3.5 significant strikes per minute with a 41 percent striking accuracy, while also posing a consistent grappling threat with 1.47 takedowns per 15 minutes and 0.3 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Silva, the Brazilian southpaw who inflicted the inadvertent damage, sits just above Namajunas at fifth in the flyweight rankings with a record of 20-5-1. The 29-year-old Team Borracha product is one of the division's more active strikers, landing 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 45 percent accuracy. Her reach matches Namajunas exactly at 65 inches.
Beyond announcing her recovery, Namajunas used the social media post to call for stricter officiating around eye pokes, advocating for immediate point deductions regardless of whether the foul was intentional. She expressed that the change is necessary to better protect fighters' long-term health and noted gratitude that her own injury did not prove more serious.
Why it matters
- Namajunas and Silva are separated by just one spot in the flyweight rankings, making any potential rematch or next assignments significant for divisional positioning.
- A push for mandatory point deductions on eye pokes, if adopted, would represent a meaningful rule enforcement shift across all UFC bouts.
- Namajunas's return to full health restores a former champion and proven contender to an active flyweight picture.
