CLEVELAND -- Cleveland-based mixed martial artist Jessica “Evil” Eye knew something was not right at the official weigh-ins ahead of her bout against Aspen Ladd at The Ultimate Fighter Finale, but the veteran fighter did not see coming what ultimately happened.
Just hours before the fight, and with Eye already at the arena going through her preparations, the Ultimate Fighting Championship informed her that the bout was cancelled because Ladd had taken ill the morning of her UFC debut.
Although no official word was given at the time, Eye has her “own speculations” as to why the bout was cancelled.
“I think it was just a bad weight cut,” Eye said. “That’s what I think it was, and unfortunately, for her, that’s going to cost her a lot of accountability because let’s face it, a part of being a fighter is making weight and making it to the fight. I think her accountability was jeopardized, whereas mine was continuously to look like the professional that I am.”
Eye said she knew something was not quite right “when I see her pound a Pedialyte in about a second after she got off that scale in the morning.”
“Anybody that’s a fighter, as a person that’s fighting, anytime I have to drink a Pedialyte, I have to get off the scale before I even say, ‘Thank you,’ and my mouth is stuck together, you know there’s a bad weight cut,” Eye said.
“Making weight isn’t our job in the sense that you have to come here and make life miserable for yourself. It should already be done.”
According to Eye, as stressful as it is to prepare for a fight, the week leading up to the bout should be the most relaxed of them all because the work was already done.
“You should come into this week and be able to relax,” Eye said. “You’ve done all the hard work. You’ve trained for seven, eight weeks. You’ve been through the grind. You’ve stressed yourself to the max. This week, you should come here and relax, and that’s what I did this time.
“That’s what I came here to prove to myself. You know. As fighters, you can kind of tell when someone’s been on the struggle bus a little bit, and I personally could see it. I saw it that day when we went to the weigh-ins. I didn’t think this was going to happen, and I don’t wish bad on her. This is my speculation. I don’t know what happened. Maybe she ate bad chicken. I don’t know, but an hour before the fight, I mean, come on.”
Although Eye’s bout was cancelled, she “sure did” get paid. And now, the bantamweight who is expected to next fight at 125 pounds, is very much looking forward to her next contest.
“I did my job,” Eye said. “I did everything I was supposed to do. I was going to get cut, right? We all know that I’ve had some decision losses. I left no stone unturned for this. I knew what was at stake. I want to be a fighter. I want to be an inspiration. I want to be the best in the world.”
