Tag: Jessica Eye

Ex-UFC title challenger Jessica Eye signs with BKFC; Conor McGregor has ‘high hopes for her’

Former UFC title challenger Jessica Eye is back, but this time she’s taking her gloves off.

Former UFC title challenger [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] is back, but this time she’s taking her gloves off.

Eye, who retired from MMA in 2022, has opted to come out of retirement and sign with BKFC, she announced Tuesday on “The Ariel Helwani Show.”

“After they knocked on my door a couple of times, and I threw out some crazy numbers to them about wanting me to return, they finally came financially correct and motivated me enough to be like, ‘You know what? Maybe these guys will take care of me in a way that I wasn’t taken care of in my UFC fights, and that’s financially rewarding,'” Eye said.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], who’s part owner of BKFC, is excited to have Eye join his roster.

“She is in phenomenal physical condition! The best I’ve ever seen her and I have shared many a card with her over the years. Look at her big bare fists and magnificent musculature! 👀 We are very happy to have “Evil” Eye at BKFC! We have high hopes for her and she will be well looked after! ❤️.”

Eye, 38, will return to action after almost three years away from competition. “Evil” retired after suffering her fourth consecutive loss to Maycee Barber at UFC 276 in July 2022.

Eye fought for the UFC women’s flyweight title in 2019 but was viciously knocked out by champion Valentina Shevchenko.

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Farewell, fighters: A list of former UFC champs and more MMA notables who retired in 2022

The MMA world said goodbye to more than 35 notable fighters in 2022, from former UFC champions to future UFC Hall of Famers and more.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently fighters from the era that helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves to move on to the next chapters in their lives.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete and, perhaps more importantly, get a payday will continue to drive fighters back, even well beyond their expiration dates.

In 2022, there was an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are retired, and we have a list of those who opted to walk away last year.

UFC 276 post-event facts: Alexander Volkanovski joins exclusive club with 12-0 UFC start

Check out the facts and figures to come out of UFC 276, where Alexander Volkanovski continued his epic run with a 22nd consecutive win.

The biggest UFC event of the year thus far took place Saturday with UFC 276, which went down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and featured a plethora of notable names – none more so than a pair of champions from Oceania.

In the main event, [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) outpointed [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) for a unanimous decision to defend the middleweight title. That win came soon after [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) defended the featherweight title against [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) with another unanimous decision in their trilogy bout.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 276.

Jessica Eye, former UFC title challenger, retires after UFC 276 loss to Maycee Barber

Jessica Eye has decided to hang up the gloves.

[autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] has put an end to her 12-year fighting career.

Eye (15-11 MMA, 5-10 UFC) left her gloves in the octagon and announced her retirement following her decision loss to Maycee Barber on Saturday at UFC 276 in Las Vegas.

“I think it’s time,” Eye told Joe Rogan in her post-fight interview. “I’ve been a pro since f*cking 2009. I’ve had plenty of UFC fights.

“I met Maycee right after she won the Contender Series. She was sitting by herself and I could see the talent in here. I invited her over to sit and talk with me and not feel like she was alone. If I could give anything back in this sport, it’s that we need to stop separating ourselves, and help each other as fighters. (Let’s) project ourselves in so many ways.

“I’ve won inside the octagon. I’ve lost. I’ve spent my entire 20s and most of my 30s (here). I’d like to see what the rest of the world looks like.”

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Eye, 35, joined the UFC in 2013. Throughout her nine-year run in the company, she beat notable opposition such as Leslie Smith, Katlyn Chookagian and Viviane Araujo.

The biggest moment of Eye’s career came in 2019 when she challenged Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC women’s flyweight title. Eye entered the bout with momentum on a three-fight winning streak, but lost by second-round knockout.

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Maycee Barber def. Jessica Eye at UFC 276: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Maycee Barber’s unanimous decision win over Jessica Eye at UFC 276.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] at UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)

Photos: UFC 276 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos from the UFC 276 ceremonial weigh-ins and the final fighter faceoffs.

Check out these photos from the UFC 276 ceremonial weigh-ins at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past two weeks (April 18-May 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 18-May 1.

With Casey O’Neill out, Maycee Barber targeted to step in against Jessica Eye at UFC 276

Maycee Barber will jump right into another training camp when she steps in to face Jessica Eye at UFC 276.

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] will jump right into another training camp.

Casey O’Neill has been forced out of UFC 276 due to a torn ACL and Barber (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will step in to face [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] (15-10 MMA, 5-9 UFC) on July 2. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Junkie that verbal agreements are in place after an initial report by BJ Penn.com.

Barber is on the heels of a victory over Montana De La Rosa this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 205. The win marked 23-year-old Barber’s second straight after a two-fight losing skid.

Eye, 35, has lost three in a row. Most recently, she lost a unanimous decision to Jennifer Maia at UFC 264 in July 2021. Prior to that, the former title challenger had won three of her past four, including wins over Katlyn Chookagian and Viviane Araujo.

With the change, the UFC 276 lineup includes:

  • Lauren Murphy vs. Miesha Tate
  • Maycee Barber vs. Jessica Eye
  • Dricus du Plessis vs. Brad Tavares
  • Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • Uriah Hall vs. Andre Muniz

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Casey O’Neill says she tore ACL, out of UFC 276 bout vs. Jessica Eye

One of the brightest rising stars in the UFC will be on the shelf for an extended period of time.

Rising flyweight star [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag] won’t be fighting at UFC 276.

On Thursday, O’Neill (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) announced her withdrawal from her scheduled July 2 bout vs. [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] (15-10 MMA, 5-9 UFC) due to a torn ACL suffered in training.

“Unfortunately I have to announce that I need to withdraw from my upcoming fight on July 2 due to snapping my ACL last week in training,” O’Neill wrote in a post on her social media accounts.

“I’ve spent the past 7 days trying to continue on but it’s just not possible on a fully torn ACL. I will have surgery, recover and be back better than ever before you know it.”

“I’m so sad that I don’t get to perform for you guys, I’m so sad that I don’t get to fight but I am excited to get healthy and rebuild. Thank you to the @ufc @danawhite @mickmaynard2 @heatherlinden @drtera @ufcpi for always taking care of me

“I am 24 years old and young in this game. I promise you I will be back better than before and the King is still coming for her crown. Love you guys, thank you for the support.”

O’Neill’s unblemished professional record includes UFC finishes over Shana Dobson, Lara Procopio, and Antonina Shevchenko. In her most recent bout, O’Neill went to the decision for the first time in her promotional tenure when she defeated Roxanne Modafferi by split decision.

It is unclear if Jessica Eye will receive a replacement, though the bout is still over nine weeks away.

With the change, the UFC 276 lineup includes:

  • Lauren Murphy vs. Miesha Tate
  • Jessica Eye vs. TBA
  • Dricus du Plessis vs. Brad Tavares
  • Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • Uriah Hall vs. Andre Muniz

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Jessica Eye vs. Casey O’Neill in the works for UFC 276

Top prospect Casey O’Neill returns at UFC 276 in July against former title challenger Jessica Eye.

One of the best prospects in women’s MMA is taking a step up in competition.

Undefeated [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag] is being targeted to fight former UFC title challenger and long-time contender [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] on July 2 at UFC 276 in Las Vegas.

MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation that verbal agreements are in place, following an initial report on Friday by ESPN. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

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O’Neill (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) joined the UFC in February 2021 and since has racked up four consecutive wins, besting notable opposition in Antonina Shevchenko and most recently Roxanne Modafferi. The 24-year-old last fought in mid February when she outpointed Modafferi in a split decision at UFC 271.

Meanwhile, Eye (15-10 MMA, 5-9 UFC) is looking to bounce back from a three-fight losing streak. The former title challenger has suffered unanimous decision losses to Cynthia Calvillo, Joanne Calderwood and Jennifer Maia in her last three bouts. Eye’s most recent win came against Viviane Araujo in December 2019.

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