MMA is a dangerous sport. One striking example of this came when #13 ranked strawweight UFC Karolina Kowalkiewicz broke her eye socket in a bout with future title contender Yan Xiaonan four years ago. It was touch and go for the Pole for some time, but she has made a full recovery and is gearing up for her sixth fight since then.

The Lodz resident will take on unranked 115-pounder Iasmin Lucindo at the latter’s home turf on UFC 301 in the Brazilian party capital of Rio de Janeiro. Ahead of the 38-year-old’s seventeenth UFC appearance, we take a look at the eye injury that almost ended her career.

Video reveals damage to Karolina Kowalkiewicz’s eyes

Even after Karolina Kowalkiewicz broke her right eye socket in the very first round against Yan Xiaonan on Fight Night 168 in 2020, the referee, in what has since become a controversial move, decided not to stop the bout. And things went horribly downhill from there for the Polish strawweight.

Already seeing double due to the injury, her Chinese opponent would go on to break her left eye socket, in the second round. But Kowalkieicz would bravely go on to fight until the final bell at the end of the third round, losing to Xiaonan via a unanimous decision. She later posted an emotional video message with her right eye under a bandage, thanking the fans for their support and good wishes, as well as revealing the severity of her injury.

“First time in my life after a fight, I cannot say I’m okay. Like you see, at the beginning of the first round, I have broken small bone here. I couldn’t see nothing. My vision was double and everything was like in the fog,” she said. But since then, she has come a long way!

Surgery and recovery of the UFC star

After the injury she sustained against Yan Xiaonan in 2020, Kowalkiewicz went to the hospital where she was kept overnight owing to the seriousness of her injuries. Originally scheduled to leave New Zealand the day after her fight, Kowalkiewicz had to spend the entire next day at the hospital.

To repair her shattered eye socket, the Pole underwent surgery, getting a titanium plate inserted into her right eye. She posted a much more upbeat message on her Instagram Story, writing: “I hope it wasn’t my last fight but now I’m focused on my health.”

Kowalkiewicz took over a year and a half off, and was able to make a full recovery, venturing back into the octagon at UFC 265 against Jessica Penne, who went on to submit her in the third round. The  Pole has fought five times since then and is sitting on a four-fight win streak.

What are your predictions for UFC 301?