Broken Orbital

What is a broken orbital?

The orbit is the bony cup that holds the eyeball in place. It’s built from seven separate bones fitted together, and two of them, the floor beneath the eye and the wall nearest the nose, are far thinner than the rest. A broken orbital happens when one of these bones gives way under impact.

Fighters run into this injury more than most athletes because the sport puts fists, elbows, knees, and skulls in direct contact with an opponent’s face round after round. It sits in a different category than a bruise or a cut. A black eye fades within a week or two. A broken orbital involves an actual crack in the bone, and depending on where that crack happens, it can change how the eye sits in its socket or how freely it moves.

How a broken orbital happens in a fight

Most breaks trace back to what doctors call a blowout fracture. A strike lands directly on the eye socket, and the force has nowhere to go but into the bone behind it. Pressure builds inside the socket faster than the surrounding tissue can absorb it, and the floor or inner wall buckles outward under the strain, since those are the thinnest points.

A hook that catches the socket at an angle can do it. So can a stray elbow in the clinch, and headbutts during a scramble account for their share too. The rim of the socket, the thicker bone a fighter can actually feel around the eye, usually survives even when the wall behind it doesn’t.

Broken orbital vs. black eye

Fans watching a fight often can’t tell the two apart from the outside, since both start with swelling and discoloration. The distinction matters because one heals on its own and the other doesn’t.

	Black eye	Broken orbital
What it is	Bruising and swelling under the skin	A fracture in the bone of the eye socket
Vision	Normal once swelling goes down	Can cause double vision if eye muscles are affected
Feeling	Tender, but sensation stays normal	Numbness in the cheek or upper lip is common
Eye position	Unchanged	May sit lower or sink back into the socket
Typical healing	Days to two weeks	Weeks, sometimes with surgery

Ringside doctors look past the swelling for signs the bone itself is involved. Cheek numbness is one flag they watch for. Another is trouble tracking a finger when both eyes try to move together, since that can mean a muscle is trapped in the fracture rather than just bruised. If one eye sits noticeably lower than the other, that alone is usually enough to call it a fracture instead of a bruise.

Why it matters in MMA

A broken orbital happens often enough in the sport that athletic commissions have a standard response to it. A fighter suspected of the injury is typically held out of competition until an ophthalmologist signs off, and outlets like LowKick MMA and Sherdog have reported UFC medical suspensions for orbital injuries ranging from six weeks on the short end to six months when surgery is involved.

A study published in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology reviewing professional MMA competition found that orbital fractures account for roughly 14% of all eye injuries recorded in the sport, the second-largest share behind lacerations, which the same study put at about 70%. That number is part of why commentators reach for the term so quickly once swelling shows up around a fighter’s eye. The injury is common enough in the sport to make the word more accurate than dramatic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a fighter compete with a broken orbital?

No. Once an orbital fracture is diagnosed or suspected, athletic commissions require medical clearance from an ophthalmologist before a fighter can return to competition, regardless of how the current fight ends.

Is a broken orbital the same as a broken cheekbone?

Not quite. The orbital is the socket that holds the eye, while the cheekbone, or zygomatic bone, forms part of that socket’s outer wall. A fracture can involve one, both, or neither, depending on where the impact lands.

How long does a broken orbital take to heal?

Recovery timelines vary by severity. UFC medical suspensions for the injury have ranged from six weeks to six months, but only a treating physician can give an accurate timeline for a specific case.

Does a broken orbital always require surgery?

No. Some fractures stabilize with rest and time, while others need surgical repair, particularly if double vision persists or the eye’s movement stays restricted. That call belongs to the treating doctor, not the fighter or coach.

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Sources

1. Cleveland Clinic. “Orbital Fractures: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment.” Accessed September 2026.
   https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25075-orbital-fractures
2. American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. “Orbital Fracture.” Accessed September 2026.
   https://aapos.org/glossary/orbital-fracture
3. Harvard Health Publishing. “Eye Socket Fracture (Fracture of the Orbit).” Accessed September 2026.
   https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/eye-socket-fracture-fracture-of-the-orbit-a-to-z
4. Wikipedia. “Orbital Blowout Fracture.” Accessed September 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_blowout_fracture
5. Clinical Ophthalmology (Dove Medical Press). “Prevalence, Patterns, and Characteristics of Eye Injuries in Professional Mixed Martial Arts.” Accessed September 2026.
   https://www.dovepress.com/prevalence-patterns-and-characteristics-of-eye-injuries-in-professiona-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OPTH
6. WebMD. “What Is a Black Eye?” Accessed September 2026.
   https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/understanding-black-eye-symptoms
7. FightersOnly Magazine. “What Is an Orbital Fracture?” Accessed September 2026.
   https://fightersonly.com/article/ext/40399/Issue+075/1
8. LowKick MMA. “UFC 173 Medical Suspensions.” Accessed September 2026.
   https://www.lowkickmma.com/ufc_173_medical_suspensions_jake_ellenberger_faces_six_month_sit_with_broken_orbital_302944/

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