Rose Namajunas reacts to viral eyelash punch vs. Tracy Cortez at UFC Denver

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has opened up on a heavily discussed moment from her win over Tracy Cortez at UFC Denver.

Namajunas defeated Cortez by unanimous decision to earn her second-straight win in Denver on Saturday. She’s now won back-to-back flyweight fights since a loss to Manon Fiorot in Paris last year.

It was a vintage performance from Namajunas, who stifled and frustrated Cortez throughout the five-round clash.

A pivotal moment in the fight was when Namajunas landed a massive right hand that dropped Cortez, sending her opponent falling to the canvas. During the broadcast replay, fans and pundits quickly noticed that one of Cortez’s eyelashes flew off her face during the sequence.

Rose Namajunas sent Tracy Cortez’s fake eyelash flying when she dropped her. 😂💀 #UFCDenver

Who allowed Tracy in there with those?! No way those are allowed.#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/AVeysT9m5Y

— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) July 14, 2024

Rose Namajunas cautions Tracy Cortez for “dangerous” fake eyelashes

In a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Namajunas reacted to the viral moment at UFC Denver.

“That’s crazy,” Namajunas said. “I noticed something was up with her eye. The camera literally captured it [flying off her face]. You can’t make that stuff up. God’s got a sense of humor. That is classic stuff. Bless her heart…

“It’s dangerous, I would not recommend her wearing it, but it’s almost like don’t you gotta wear them [now]?” (h/t MMA Fighting)

Namajunas was originally scheduled to face Maycee Barber in the UFC Denver main event before Barber withdrew. Cortez stepped up on weeks’ notice to take the fight.

Namajunas defeated Amanda Ribas in her previous fight in March, winning by unanimous decision. She’s now 2-1 since making the full-time move from strawweight to flyweight.

As for Cortez, the loss to Namajunas snapped an 11-fight winning streak. She defeated Jasmine Jasudavicius and Melissa Gatto in her previous two UFC fights.

It’s uncertain if Cortez’s fake eyelashes were permitted by the Colorado State Athletic Commission officials before the event, or if they went unnoticed. Either way, Namajunas vs. Cortez featured one of the strangest sequences in recent UFC history.