Jessica Eye Survives Early Scare to Earn Split Decision Win in Return to Flyweight
Jessica Eye has been waiting for the UFC to finally introduce the women’s flyweight division and on Sunday night she got her chance to compete at 125 pounds for the first time in nearly five years.
Prior to her move to the UFC, Eye was considered one of the top fighters in the world in the women’s flyweight division and she was anxious to show how good she could be at a more natural weight class.
Unfortunately, Eye’s UFC flyweight debut was nearly cut short in the first round with Brazilian Kalindra Faria landed a nasty head kick just as the Ohio native was ducking her head for a potential takedown.
BOOM! Beautiful head kick from Faria.
Man, how tough is Jessica Eye?! #UFCSTL pic.twitter.com/NhSQiknplb
— UFC (@ufc) January 15, 2018
Eye recovered as the fight hit the ground before locking up in a long string of submission attempts as she and Faria both attempted numerous heel hooks and leg locks.
The second round saw the best out of Eye as she immediately looked for the takedown and transitioned to Faria’s back where she began fishing for the rear naked choke. Eye remained in control for the remainder o the round, although Faria defended well enough to stay out of any serious trouble.
The final five minutes saw another back and forth battle with Faria landing the better strikes on the feet with Eye managing to hit a couple of key takedowns to maintain ground control. When the final horn sounded, it was anybody’s guess how the fight would be scored as Eye and Faria went back and forth for all 15 minutes.
HUGE win for @JessicaEvilEye in her flyweight debut!! #UFCSTL pic.twitter.com/XhDwVM3Mul
— UFC (@ufc) January 15, 2018
The judges were split but ultimately Eye got the win with two scorecards of 29-28 in her favor with the final going for Faria 29-28.
Afterwards, Eye promised that this was just the start of her mission at 125 pounds as she looks to reinvigorate her career now that she’s finally competing at flyweight again. The victory also puts an end to Eye’s four-fight losing streak, which was by far the toughest stretch of her career.
