LAS VEGAS – So just how did [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] get booked with top flyweight contender [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] in her first fight in the division? She asked for it.
“I actually asked for that fight,” Calvillo told MMA Junkie. “We had just got into the gym. I talked to them and told them I wanted to fight in July, and then I was watching everybody in the flyweight division – you know, in the top 10 – getting booked for fights, and I’m like, ‘Man, dude, like if I don’t get up on this and try to get a fight, then I’m going to be left out.’
“So I noticed that there were probably like two fighters that hadn’t been matched up, which was Jessica Eye and Jennifer Maia. But Jennifer Maia, of course she’s in Brazil, and I didn’t know how the restrictions were going to be. So I was like, ‘Well, Jessica Eye. Let’s go for it.’ So I messaged my manager, and I told him, ‘Hey, does Jessica Eye have anything booked? If she doesn’t, I would love to fight her in July.’ He was like, ‘Let me ask.’ He came back with, ‘Uh, how about main event in three weeks?’ Well, all righty then. So that’s pretty much how it happened.”
Calvillo (8-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) and Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) meet in the headlining bout of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10, which takes place at UFC Apex. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
It’s Calvillo’s first UFC fight at 125 pounds after competing at strawweight in her first seven fights for the promotion – though she missed weight in two of her past three.
Calvillo admits even she was surprised to get a main event but felt honored the promotion was willing to give her the opportunity.
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“I’m super thankful,” Calvillo said. “I think the UFC has had my back, honestly. I mean, I’ve had two co-main events, and now I’m in the main event, and especially considering with the struggles that I’ve had these last years, for them to put me on there, it means a lot. I really didn’t think I was going to get an opportunity like that.
“I felt like I needed to establish myself a little better in the flyweight division before I got a slot like that, but it’s here, and I’m super grateful. I’m really, really happy and blessed to be able to fight for this organization and for them to continue to support me.”
Calvillo, 32, said she’s not completely ruling out a return to strawweight at some point in her career, but she admits it doesn’t seem very likely. The addition of more muscle mass to her growing frame makes it a very tough ask.
“I mean, I’ll go down back to 115 for the right fight, but I just think that for my longevity as a professional athlete, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to continue killing myself at strawweight,” Calvillo said. “My body has changed a lot since then, and it is very difficult for me to make that weight.”
If Calvillo is victorious over Eye, she may not need to worry about big fights at 115 pounds. A recent title challenger, Eye is considered one of the top contenders in the division, posting a 4-1 mark in the weight class since dropping down from bantamweight, and with the only loss in that stretch coming to dominant champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Calvillo realizes getting her wish means she’s got a big opportunity in front of her right now.
“I want to go in there guns blazing, and I want to prove that I’m one of the best in the world,” Calvillo said. “You’ve just got to keep fighting. The last few months have not been very busy as much as I want. Definitely slowed down a lot, so I’m excited to just get matched up. When I beat Jessica Eye, if they tell me do I want to fight for the title, ‘Yes, I will.’ If they tell me I need to wait, I need to take another fight, I will fight. I want to stay busy.”
That’s not an empty promise from Calvillo. After all, she fought four times in her first nine months in the UFC. A loss and and a subsequent suspension for testing positive for marijuana metabolites slowed things down, but she’s ready to gain steam once again – so much so, that she’s willing to face anyone the UFC offers up.
Almost.
“I want to fight everybody on that roster – of course the girls, not the guys, and I don’t know about Amanda Nunes, either,” Calvillo said with a laugh. “But I love doing this, man. I don’t know how to explain it. There’s nothing on the planet I’d rather being doing than doing martial arts and fighting, so I want to be able to do this as long as I can. It is something that doesn’t last forever.
“Father Time is undefeated, so as long as I can get to the best shape that I possibly can and do what I can – I want to be a legend in this sport, and I feel like I’m barely scratching (the surface). I want to put more names beneath my belt. This is a great start. This is exactly where I want to be.”
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