Rose Namajunas won a unanimous decision against Tracy Cortez at UFC Denver, with the highlight being a punch that knocked off Cortez’s fake eyelashes, sparking discussions about the safety and practicality of wearing such accessories in the octagon.
Rose Namajunas has landed plenty of knockouts in her career, but knocking off fake eyelashes? That’s a first.
On Saturday, Namajunas secured a unanimous decision win over Tracy Cortez at UFC Denver. Yet, the standout moment came early when she delivered a punch so powerful it sent Cortez’s fake eyelashes flying.
“That’s crazy,” Namajunas remarked on Monday’s The MMA Hour. “I saw something weird with her eye. The camera caught it perfectly. You can’t make this stuff up.”
Wearing fake eyelashes in the octagon? Potentially risky. They could get knocked into a fighter’s eye.
In this instance, they just flew off Cortez’s face. But Namajunas admits she’d never consider wearing them in the cage.
“That’s one thing I’ve always been aware of,” she said. “I’ve had eye injuries before, so I’m constantly checking my eyes. Teeth, eyes, nose—gotta protect them.”
Throughout her career, Namajunas never felt the need to wear fake eyelashes—not even for UFC photoshoots.
She recalled conversations with Suzy Friton, UFC’s makeup artist who passed away in 2021. They often discussed this topic.
“I don’t wear fake eyelashes at all,” Namajunas said. “Suzy always did my makeup great but insisted on the lashes. I’d tell her, ‘Girl, I can’t do that.’ They make me tired; my eyelids droop.”
“It was an ongoing battle between us,” she added. “Rest in peace, Suzy.”
As for Cortez’s choice to wear them? Namajunas joked that it might become a tradition now.
“It’s a thing now,” she laughed. “It’s dangerous; I wouldn’t recommend it. But maybe she has to keep wearing them?”
Regarding her performance at UFC Denver, Namajunas was mostly satisfied but saw room for improvement.
Overall, no major complaints as she dominated and won comfortably on the judges’ scorecards.
“There are things I could do better and will improve on,” she noted. “But I was happy because my last fight left me frustrated due to injuries and lack of speed.”
“This time, I showed what I’d worked on,” she continued. “Wanted the finish though; felt like I missed that chance early on.”
“There’s always room for growth,” she concluded. “My plan wasn’t to wrestle much unless necessary—but it worked well! Next time: maintain speed throughout.”