‘I’m upset’ – UFC star Rose Namajunas undergoing eye surgery following nasty eye poke at UFC 324

Jan 27, 2026 - 20:45

Rose Namajunas will have a tube in her eye for three months as a result of her fight with Natalia Silva.

‘Thug Rose’ suffered a close unanimous decision defeat to the Brazilian on the main card of UFC 324 last weekend.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 24: Natalia Silva of Brazil celebrates after defeating Rose Namajunas of the United States by unanimous decision during their women's flyweight bout in UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) — Namajunas would’ve been very disappointed not to get her arm raised at UFC 324 – but her focus has quickly turned to dealing with eye surgery

The former UFC champion certainly had her moments throughout the three rounds, with some fans even believing she deserved to win the fight.

Ultimately, the judges handed the decision to Silva, who moved up to become the No.1 contender at women’s flyweight with a fifth successive win, per the updated UFC rankings this week.

Namajunas may have felt hard done by in her loss to Silva, but she now faces even bigger concerns ahead.

Rose Namajunas ‘upset’ for not protesting eye pokes at UFC 324

“I’m heading into surgery, canalicular tube surgery,” a smiling Namajunas said in a video posted to her Instagram on Tuesday.

View Tweet: https://twitter.com/rosenamajunas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

“I got poked in the eye a few times in the fight. My tube is torn, so it’s going to be repaired.

“I’m going to have a silicone tube in my eye for three months. Pray for me, guys — I’m just glad we can get it fixed.”

Namajunas later explained to Ariel Helwani that the entire situation left her unsurprisingly uneasy.

“I’m doing good, I’m very fresh right now, [but] I’m upset because I got poked in the eye in the second round and couldn’t see after that,” she said just before undergoing surgery.

“Now, I’m seeing from pictures that it was multiple times, I was just so focused, I wished I had protested.

“It’s just frustrating because I know accidents happen, but I’ve never poked anyone in the eye.

Rose Namajunas getting eye pokes in the UFC — Eye pokes have become a serious issue in the UFC, with heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall also requiring surgery

“So I feel like a point should be taken right away — 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.”

Namajunas not the only UFC star facing surgery from eye pokes

Eye pokes have been a hot topic in Dana White‘s promotion over the past three months.

Tom Aspinall‘s first UFC heavyweight title defence against Ciryl Gane in October ended in a no-contest when he was brutally poked in both eyes during the fight.

Aspinall was diagnosed with Brown’s syndrome following the incident and requires surgery on both eyes, with his return to the sport currently unknown.

Then, in the main event of UFC 324, Paddy Pimblett suffered two vicious eye pokes during his defeat to Justin Gaethje.

Britain's Tom Aspinall reacts after being hit in the eye while fighting France's Ciryl Gane during their UFC heavyweight title bout at UFC 321 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi early on October 26, 2025 — Aspinall was temporarily blinded due to a double eye poke from Gane at UFC 321

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 24: (L-R) Justin Gaethje during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) — Pimblett was also on the receiving end of two eye pokes in his UFC 324 headliner against Gaethje

Pimblett was sent straight to hospital after the bloody five-round fight, with an update on his well-being expected soon.

Fans and athletes have called for officials to instantly take a point when dealing with eye pokes during a fight and be stricter in general to prevent serious injury.