Rose
Namajunas wants to rediscover her motivation before returning
to competition in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The 34-year-old admitted during a recent podcast appearance that
she has spent the past few months evaluating her future after
multiple disappointing results and the lengthy recovery from
injuries sustained in her last bout.

Rose Namajunas discusses injuries, recent losses and her UFC
future

Namajunas still intends to fight again, but she wants to make sure
she has the right reason for returning. The former strawweight
champion lost to Natalia
Silva at
UFC 324 in January and had to undergo surgery shortly after her
fight with Silva to repair damage caused by an accidental eye
poke.

“It was like a three-month process,†Namajunas said on the
“Weighing In” podcast. “After the fight, I had to get this surgery
right away. They put this weird silicone tube in my eye. It was a
really easy surgery, though. It was just kind of uncomfortable. I
couldn't blow my nose. I couldn't rub my eye because it could pop
out, so I had to be off — no contact training for three
months.â€

She also revealed that she suffered a torn ulnar collateral
ligament in her thumb during the recovery process. Namajunas was
finally cleared to resume training in April, but has yet to
schedule her next bout. The aforementioned setbacks have left her
contemplating her future.

“That's why I've been sitting out for a while because I'm trying to
rediscover, OK, what am I doing now?†Namajunas added. “The last
three opportunities that I had — the Natalia fight, the Erin
Blanchfield fight and the Manon
[Fiorot] fight — I was told that I would get a title shot with
a win. I came up short in all three of those. I'm at a point in my
life where I'm thinking about family stuff and all these things,
and next steps, future things. So, I do want to compete and I still
want to fight again, but I want to make sure that when I'm going in
there, I'm going for a purpose and a reason.â€

Namajunas is 1-2 in her last three bouts and 3-3 since moving up to
flyweight.

Alexander Poppeck (right) will make his UFC debut on Aug. 1. |
📷: PFL MMA

---

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship's upcoming visit to Serbia will
see new European talent make his Octagon debut.

Alexander
Poppeck (21-5) recently signed with the UFC. The German is set
to make his promotional debut against fellow UFC debutant Jovan Leka
(13-2) at
UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 at Belgrade Arena.

Jovan Leka brings a six-fight winning streak into UFC Belgrade
against Alexander Poppeck

While Poppeck competes at light heavyweight, he will move up to
heavyweight for his upcoming bout. Notably, the 34-year-old had
suffered a knockout loss to Jamahal
Hill on
Dana White's Contender Series back in 2019.

One of the biggest names in Oktagon
MMA, Poppeck is unbeaten in six outings (1 NC) since 2023, with
four finishes. Meanwhile, Leka will have the Serbian home crowd
rallying behind him and is on a six-fight winning streak with four
finishes.

Leka earned a win on Contender Series last year but failed to
impress UFC CEO Dana
White and the matchmakers. The 24-year-old then picked up two
finishes outside the promotion before the UFC Belgrade opportunity
came about.

Tyson Fury and Mariusz Wach face off ahead of their heavyweight
fight. | 📷: Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty

---

Tyson
Fury will give up a significant size advantage when he faces
Mariusz Wach.

The former heavyweight champion weighed in at 265 pounds for the
bout in Pattaya, Thailand, while Wach came in at a hefty 291.4
pounds, marking a 26.4-pound weight difference in favor of the
Polish heavyweight.

Tyson Fury faces Mariusz Wach after surrendering his usual size
advantage

Fury acknowledged the size disparity after the weigh-in for his
fight with Wach on July 24. “The Gypsy King” highlighted that he's
working his way back to his optimum fighting weight after a lengthy
hiatus from the squared circle.

“I’ve never faced a man heavier than me,†Fury said at the weigh-in
(via Sky Sports). “I’m very happy to be fighting.
I’m not banking on any fight happening or not happening. I’m a
fighter, I want to keep busy. I’ve had one fight in over two years.
This is my second camp back-to-back after a 16-month layoff. I’m
getting sharper, fitter and stronger every day.â€

Fury’s official weight is two pounds lighter than it was for his
unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April. At
the weigh-ins, he also spoke about how he plans to approach the
fight with Wach.

“I want to box his head off for 12 rounds, if possible,†Fury
added. “I’m there to box and move, use my attributes. I’ve got to
be 100 percent focused, switched on, take nobody as an easy touch
and do my job, like I always do.â€

His upcoming bout is expected to serve as the final tune-up fight
ahead of a highly-anticipated heavyweight showdown with fellow
Englishman Anthony
Joshua targeted later this year.

Tyson Fury
will fight someone HEAVIER than him for the first time in his
career 😳⚖ï¸#FuryWach
| @SecondsOutLive
pic.twitter.com/W44HWYNKdV

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing)
July 23, 2026