UFC fighter debated ending career after eye surgery until Michael Bisping offered ‘glimmer of hope’ 

Melissa Mullins was ’50/50′ on whether she would continue fighting after tearing her retina last year.

‘No Mess’ contested her fourth fight in the promotion at UFC Baku in June 2025, suffering a unanimous decision defeat to Daria Zhelezniakova.

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Just two weeks later, the UFC women’s bantamweight thought her MMA career was over following ’emergency major eye surgery.’

As it turned out, Mullins suffered a torn retina in her right eye, leaving her with extreme performance anxiety.

But the 34-year-old now finds herself back in the Octagon with a huge opening card fight at UFC London on Saturday.

It’s been a long recovery process for the Coventry fighter, who has credited UFC Hall of Famer and former middleweight champion Michael Bisping for helping her make a comeback.

How Bisping’s words of wisdom shaped Mullins’ return

“Michael dropped me a DM, and he solidified how to take the recovery of the injury seriously,” Mullins told members of the media, including talkSPORT.com in London, on Thursday.

“[It was] a really kind gesture from him—especially in that moment, the first eight weeks of recovery—[for me] to hold on to.”

Bisping, of course, is arguably the most famous example of a fighter battling through an eye injury.

The Briton detached his retina following a head kick from Vitor Belfort during their 2013 clash in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Bisping eventually lost all visibility and now rocks a glass eye, which he proudly showed off to Jim White and Simon Jordan on talkSPORT in 2022.

Despite his adversity and cheating tests from doctors to continue competing, Bisping, who will be in the commentary booth for the entire London card this weekend, won the middleweight title with one eye.

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What he achieved gives Mullins the confidence she can do something similar.

“As soon as I knew my eye was recovered, it was a lot easier,” Mullins continued.

“Initially, it was, ‘Is this make or break for my career?’ I’m 35 this year, I’m not a mum yet, but I would like to be a mum one day… 

“I’ve got a career beyond the UFC, I’m a person beyond the UFC. So do I risk it? Is it worth it?

“For me, at that point, it was 50\50. Was my career over? I didn’t know.

“But once I started training again, that’s when I knew I couldn’t leave yet; it wasn’t over for me.

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“So I’ll be on to bigger and better things, and yes, when I had that information from Michael, it gave me a glimmer of hope and something to hold on to.”

Mullins contested three grappling bouts after her defeat to Zhelezniakova, as her eye operation knocked her confidence.

She wanted a way to get rid of performance anxiety, which is something she says she discovered upon making her UFC debut.

Eye injuries have become synonymous with British fighters in the UFC over the past five months.

Both Tom Aspinall and Paddy Pimblett dealt with nasty eye pokes during their main event bouts with Ciryl Gane and Justin Gaethje, respectively.

Aspinall, too, was left considering his fighting future after his injury, although the UFC heavyweight champion is close to making a return.

As for Mullins, a win on Saturday will put her in good standing to make her way back to the top 15 rankings at 135lbs.

UFC Schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.