Former UFC champion Rose Namajunas underwent eye surgery Tuesday, to repair damage suffered during a decision loss to Natalia Silva at UFC 324 last weekend in Las Vegas.
Namajunas, 33, posted about the surgery Tuesday, and her husband, Pat Barry, confirmed to ESPN later in the day that the procedure had been completed.
"I'm headed into surgery," Namajunas said on Instagram. "Canalicular tube surgery. I got poked in the eye a few times in the fight. My tube is torn, so it's going to be repaired now. I'm going to have a silicone tube in my eye. Three months, pray for me guys. Just glad we can get it fixed."
A canalicular laceration refers to trauma to the drainage system of the eye.
Namajunas(14-8) lost a three-round decision to Silva (19-5-1), however many observers felt she won two of the three rounds. The 125-pound bout carried heavy implications, as Silva and Namajunas are ranked the No. 1 and No. 7 flyweights in the world, according to the UFC.
Silva was not penalized for any eye poke during the course of UFC 324. Historically, accidental eye pokes are a relatively common occurrence, however they have been heavily in the news cycle in recent months. UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been out indefinitely since October, and underwent multiple surgeries, to deal with injuries sustained by eye pokes during his last title fight against Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi, which resulted in the bout being ruled a no-contest.
