FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Sports

Jessica Eye’s Rough Ride in the UFC

She might not have an amazing record under the UFC banner, but Jessica Eye is still very capable of pushing herself into the title mix. A win against Julianna Peña this weekend would be a good place to start.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC

Jessica 'Evil' Eye has not been handed any easy tasks since her emergence under the UFC banner. The American had only been bested once before joining the world's flagship MMA promotion when Aisling Daly submitted her against all odds to become Ireland's first MMA world champion by securing the NAAFS title back in 2011.

As soon as Eye signed on the dotted line with Dana White and Co, she was given the unenviable assignment of facing former Strikeforce champion, Sarah Kaufman. The Canadian was the last person to face Ronda Rousey under the Strikeforce banner and, like everyone else up to that point, she was forced to tap when the former Olympian viciously hyperextended her arm in the first round of their clash. Kaufman proved that she was still game with her 'Fight of the Night' winning performance against Leslie Smith, and there is no doubt that she was one of Eye's toughest test to date ahead of both of their promotional debuts for UFC.

Advertisement

Kaufman's face wore the brunt of Eye's prodding jab on the night of UFC 166, and she managed to give the American food for thought with her right hand on a few occasions. Eye's reaction to winning the split decision showed the victory was one of the most momentous of her career, but it wasn't long before the decision was overturned to a no contest after Eye tested positive for marijuana.

The fact that Texas has incredibly strict laws when it comes to the substance didn't help either. Eye had 16 ng/ML marijuana metabolites in he system when tested, where Texas's threshold is 15. Although most states only test positive beyond 50, Nevada allows up to 150 ng/ML. Eye detailed that she had indeed been passively smoking the substance, her levels correspond to such a situation according to research on the topic, which resulted in a harrowing altercation with her father.

"Upon arrival at my father's house, I noticed immediately that they had been drinking," wrote Eye in an attempt to explain her positive test to the Texas board. "Against my better judgment, I decided to stay and avoid another confrontation with my father especially with anyone else in attendance. As the evening progressed, the alcohol would eventually turn into marijuana.

"As my father and several of his friends began to smoke in the living room where we were watching the UFC, I politely asked him to stop smoking or I'd be forced to leave. Not only did he refuse, but he became irate and began to physically attack me in front of all of our guests."

Advertisement

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

After Kaufman, Eye was matched with Alexis Davis. Despite Eye having her win over Kaufman overturned, she obviously still had very strong stock with UFC as Davis's split decision win over her at UFC 170 was enough to thrust her into a title showdown with Rousey.

In her next bout at UFC 180 against Leslie Smith, Eye was a joy to watch. Her combinations were sharp and accurate and after the first exchange she already had the notoriously game Smith backing up. In one of the most memorable moment's in the women's bantamweight division, Eye burst open Smith's left ear with a right hand that eventually force a doctor's stoppage in the bout. Smith's ear was literally hanging off, and despite her wishes, a win was marked in the books for Eye.

A victory in her meeting this July with Meisha Tate might have been enough to propel her into the title mix. Although she clearly lost out on the decision to Tate, Eye proved that she could hang with Rousey's best-known adversary for three rounds. Her opening exchanges in the contest caused Tate a lot of trouble too, which made the win all the more impressive for 'Cupcake'.

If there is one thing that we know about Eye it's that she performs well when she has to face adversity. A year after she lost one of her best friends in a car crash, Eye herself was involved in a road accident that resulted in her breaking her back at the age of 15. The doctors did not know if Eye would ever walk again and certainly ruled her out of sporting activities in the future. Her father also needed reconstructive surgery on his knee, which made for a struggle at home.

Advertisement

"I had to accept that I was never going to see a friend ever again," she told UFC.com in 2013. "Then my back was broken and I wasn't going to be able to go to the dances and get to have a normal sophomore year in high school and do those normal things that kids were doing.

"But I learned who my true friends were, and I learned more about myself and even more about my family and what we were able to take. It was very hard on our family financially and emotionally because it wasn't just me, it was my father. I have my two brothers, my stepmother, and my father, and my father being the big breadwinner, it was hard on our family."

We have seen drastic improvements in Eye since her debut, and should she be able to rise to the occasion on Saturday night in Houston, circumstance could play in her favor. It's unlikely that a bout will Rousey will surface given her official UFC record, but she can certainly make a big statement.

The most interesting things to note about her matchup with Julianna Peña at UFC 192 is the fact that both are both ranked, Eye in seventh and Peña in twelfth, and even more importantly, neither have ever faced Rousey. It's well known that there is a stress on fresh blood for the champion given how Holly Holm was penciled in for a bout with the champion over a third matchup with Tate.

Although Peña has compelled the UFC fan base to a certain extent with her pursuit of a date with Rousey, a win for Eye on Saturday will certainly convince a lot of people that she is ready for more tests at the top of the division.