Karolina Kowalkiewicz forced to undergo eye operation following loss at UFC Auckland

UFC women’s strawweight Karolina Kowalkiewicz says she will undergo an eye operation after suffering a broken facial bone at UFC Auckland.

Kowalkiewicz lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Yan Xiaonan on the main card of UFC Auckland. It’s her fourth straight loss following defeats to Alexa Grasso, Jessica Andrade, and Michelle Waterson. Kowalkiewicz was beaten to the punch nearly the entire fight by Xiaonan and was really wearing it at the end of 15 minutes.

Following the event, Kowalkiewicz took to her social media to reveal to her fans that she has a broken bone above her eye. She will have to stay in Auckland to fix her eye before she is able to fly home to Poland.

Take a look at what Kowalkiewicz told her fans below (via MMAJim).

Per her Instagram story, @KarolinaMMA has confirmed she “broke a bone above her eye.” She added she “couldn’t see anything, was seeing double, and everything was in the fog.” pic.twitter.com/zMX8oBvCxs

— Jim (@MMA_Jim) February 23, 2020

https://twitter.com/mma_jim/status/1231657387972579328

“Per her Instagram story, @KarolinaMMA has confirmed she “broke a bone above her eye.” She added she “couldn’t see anything, was seeing double, and everything was in the fog.””

“She adds after that she needs an operation and that she will have to stay in New Zealand for the minute as flying with this eye injury would be dangerous.”

This latest loss to Xiaonan has led to some fans and media speculating that Kowalkiewicz could potentially retire from MMA. The former KSW flyweight champion began her UFC career with three straight wins, including a notable split decision victory over former champ Rose Namajunas, but she is just 2-6 over her last eight fights and has taken quite a bit of damage, including a brutal KO loss to Andrade in September 2018.

Even if Kowalkiewicz doesn’t hang up the gloves, with four straight losses it seems likely the UFC matchmakers have her on the chopping block and could potentially release her in order to make room for new prospects to take her roster spot.

What do you think is next for Karolina Kowalkiewicz?