For athletes and martial artists, physical injuries are an inevitable part of the job. One often overlooked aspect of sports-related injuries, however, is their impact on vision and eye health.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, different activities and sports have different levels of eye injuries. In the US, nearly 30,000 sports-related eye injuries are treated in emergency rooms each year. While a study has found that basketball was the leading cause of sports-related eye injuries, boxing and full-contact martial arts pose an extremely high risk of serious and even blinding eye injuries.
At the same time, combat sports like boxing don’t offer enough eye protection, although experts suggest that thumbless gloves may reduce the number of boxing eye injuries.
Another problem with combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts is fighters who wear glasses or contact lenses need to be able to see clearly without them. So below, let’s take a look at some of the UFC fighters past and present that are known to wear contact lenses.
Are Contact Lenses Common in Combat Sports and MMA?
When it comes to combat sports, different leagues are more open to contact lenses than others. For example, most amateur and professional boxing organizations have banned contact lenses in the ring. However, many associations overseeing mixed martial arts and professional organizations like the UFC allow contact lenses when fighting.
Additionally, many reputable contact lens brands offer specially designed contact lenses made for active wear like martial arts training and fighting. Eye health experts suggest wearing soft contact lenses to reduce the chances of them getting dislodged and damaging the eyes.
Experts also recommend daily disposable lenses such as the Acuvue® Moist, which are sold in a 90-pack on Target Optical, to limit bacteria and debris buildup after long training sessions and fights.
Now that we know contact lenses are allowed and fairly common in mixed martial arts, let’s take a look at some of the UFC fighters known to wear contact lenses:
Heath Herring
First on the list is former professional MMA fighter Heath Herring. Best known for competing in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Herring has also formerly competed for the UFC and K-1. The fighter is known and loved among the Japanese crowd for his unique fighter look featuring weird hairstyles and colors. In a PRIDE Shockwave ’03 fight against Brazilian MMA fighter and wrestler Giant Silva, the commentators highlighted that Herring wears contact lenses.
Unfortunately, one of his last MMA fights against WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar in 2008 resulted in a dominant beatdown. On the fighter’s Facebook page after the fight, Herring revealed he suffered a broken orbital bone from the first punch of the fight. Herring has since pursued acting in films like Never Surrender, Hell’s Chain, and Unrivaled, and has dabbled in stunt work for Hollywood.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Known by his ring name, Rampage Jackson, Quinton Jackson is a MMA fighter, actor, kickboxer, and professional wrestler. Like Herring above, Rampage Jackson became a star in Japan during his tenure with PRIDE before moving to the UFC. Throughout his career, Jackson won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and the Bellator Season 10 Light Heavyweight Tournament Championship belts. Viewers and commentators have pointed out his use and removal of contact lenses before or during fights.
Also, like Herring, Rampage Jackson has gone on to pursue Hollywood work, including the recent action film Mojave Diamonds directed by Asif Akbar. Incidentally, the film also stars other MMA athletes like Chael Sonnen, Donald Cerrone, and the son of actor Nicolas Cage, Weston Cage Coppola. Most recently, Jackson wrestled on the Bloodsport Bushido event in Japan on June 2024, defeating Hideki Sekine by knockout.
Juan Adams
Finally, another former UFC fighter who wears contact lenses is Juan Adams. The fighter currently competes in the heavyweight division, competing in both the UFC and Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Most notably, Adams impressed fans after an explosive UFC debut on December 2018 against Chris de la Rocha at UFC on Fox 31. Adams won the fight via technical knockout in round three in an unforgettably bloody affair.
Afterwards, it was revealed Adams had fought his UFC debut fight “blind” as he hadn’t been allowed to wear his contacts at all due to athletic commission restrictions. The fighter had initially misspoke in a post-fight interview stating that his contact lens had fallen out in the first round.
