Rose Namajunas cleared after eye surgery, proposes purse cuts for pokes
Rose Namajunas has been cleared to return to training three months after undergoing eye surgery stemming from her decision loss to Natalia Silva at UFC 324 in January.
The former strawweight champion revealed on Instagram that she required surgery to repair damage from what she described as multiple eye pokes during the bout, per MMA Fighting. Namajunas posted that both her thumb and eye have healed, though she acknowledged being out of shape after the extended layoff.
Namajunas proposes financial penalties for eye pokes
Beyond announcing her medical clearance, Namajunas called for a rule change that would hit fighters in the wallet. “I really hope eye pokes will be taken more seriously in the future,” she wrote, according to MMA Mania. “I propose instant purse deduction even for an accident. An accident that could seriously affect a fighters health long term.”
The comment signals frustration with how officials handle eye pokes, which currently can result in point deductions at referee discretion but carry no automatic financial consequences. Namajunas added that she was grateful the injury proved less serious than it could have been.
Since moving up to flyweight after losing her strawweight belt to Carla Esparza, Namajunas has gone 3-3 in the division. No timeline has been announced for her return to competition.
Photo: Andy Grahn / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Original reporting:
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