After an unsuccessful title challenge in November, [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] is back in the win column.
At UFC 264, Maia (19-7-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) defeated [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] (15-10 MMA, 5-9 UFC) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in the featured early prelim.
The women’s flyweight bout was part of the UFC 264 preliminary card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
The fight was closely contested throughout, with both women having their moments. After a strike-heavy Round 1, things got bloody in Round 2 when Maia and Eye clashed heads near the end of the round. The collision left a nasty gash square in the middle of Eye’s forehead. The blood-gates opened and the two fighters were covered in blood.
In Round 3, more of the same played out. While the cutman did a good job of closing up the wound, the crimson gushes reappeared later in the round. Eye walked forward and Maia counterpunched. While it was another close round, Maia walked away victorious.
For Maia, the victory was her second in three fights and her first since she was defeated by women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko eight months ago.
What. A. Battle. #UFC264 pic.twitter.com/PE0ExC5AHn
— UFC (@ufc) July 10, 2021
As for Eye, who is also a former 125-pound title challenger, she’s now lost three fights in a row and four of her most recent five.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 264 results include:
- Jennifer Maia def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Brad Tavares def. Omari Akhmedov via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Zhalgas Zhumagulov def. Jerome Rivera via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:02
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[vertical-gallery id=631884]
[listicle id=630784]