Rivalries: Jessica Eye

Jessica Eye’s margin for error has grown uncomfortably narrow.

The onetime Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight title challenger will look to put a stop to a two-fight losing streak when she meets Jennifer Maia on the UFC 264 undercard this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Eye, 34, owns a 5-8 record in the UFC, though seven of those eight defeats have resulted in decisions. The Xtreme Couture representative last appeared at UFC 257, where she wound up on the wrong side of the scorecards in a three-round battle with Joanne Calderwood on Jan. 23.

As Eye makes final preparations for her showdown with Maia, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape her career:

Leslie Smith

Eye established her footing inside the Octagon with her first Ultimate Fighting Championship victory and did so in spectacular fashion, as she ruptured Smith’s cauliflower ear to force a stoppage in the second round of their UFC 180 prelim on Nov. 15, 2014 at Mexico City Arena. Referee Herb Dean called a halt to the match on the advice of the cageside physician 1:30 into Round 2, despite vehement protests from Smith. Eye utilized her speed advantage and lit up the Invicta Fighting Championships veteran with heavy punching combinations. One of her punches landed directly on Smith’s ear in the first round, spewing blood and resulting in a grotesque split in the flesh. The injury only grew worse in the second frame, where subsequent punches from Eye had the ear dangling perilously from Smith’s head and drew Dean’s attention.

Miesha Tate

The former Strikeforce champion planted her flag as the No. 1 contender in the women’s bantamweight division by taking a unanimous verdict from Eye in the UFC on Fox 16 co-main event on July 25, 2015 at the United Center in Chicago. Tate swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks from all three judges. Eye started strong, as she connected with jabs, crosses, standing elbows and multi-punch bursts in the pocket. However, the complexion of the bout changed late in Round 1, where Tate detonated an overhand right on the jaw and sent the Strong Style Fight Team rep crashing to the canvas. The scene repeated itself in the second round, as “Cupcake” landed another overhand right, drove Eye back to the mat and took top position. Tate closed the frame with a mounted guillotine choke, sending a loud-and-clear message to her opponent. She tightened her hold on the match midway through the third round, where she secured a takedown and moved to Eye’s back. Though the fight-ending choke she sought never materialized, the outcome was sealed.

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Katlyn Chookagian

Eye made her final move toward contention in the women’s flyweight division when she eked out a split decision over the former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder in a UFC 231 prelim on Dec. 8, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. All three judges scored it 29-28: Greg Jackson and Declan Woods for Eye, Benoit Roussel for Chookagian. Eye outlanded her counterpart in the first and second rounds, played the role of aggressor and kept her guessing with leg kicks and a few failed takedown attempts. Chookagian showed more urgency in Round 3, countered effectively and even tripped Eye to the canvas, at which point she worked to advance to the back. Her efforts went for naught, the fate of both women left to the scorecards. Eye escaped with the victory, cementing herself as the No. 1 contender at 125 pounds.

Valentina Shevchenko

Shevchenko retained the undisputed UFC women’s flyweight championship in violent fashion, as she knocked out Eye with a head kick in the second round of their UFC 238 co-main event on June 8, 2019 at the United Center in Chicago. An unconscious Eye hit the canvas 26 seconds into Round 2 and remained motionless for several tense moments. Shevchenko was never in jeopardy. She tenderized the challenger’s body with a series of body kicks in the first round, secured two takedowns and threatened with a kimura from the crucifix position in the closing seconds. The gulf in skill between the two women was enormous. Shevchenko fired more kicks to the body in Round 2, then went high and slammed her shin into Eye’s skull. The Xtreme Couture representative froze and collapsed, her head bouncing off the mat in one of the most brutal finishes in women’s MMA history.