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‘Eye’ll be back.’ Jessica ‘Evil’ Eye finds smile, vows to make successful return to UFC after KO loss

Cleveland native Jessica ‘Evil’ Eye has rediscovered her love for the MMA game and vows to make a successful return to the UFC octagon after suffering a KO loss.
Credit: Matt Florjancic
UFC fighter Jessica 'Evil' Eye goes through her open workout on The Gateway Plaza ahead of UFC 203 at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena on September 10, 2016.

CLEVELAND — Cleveland native Jessica “Evil” Eye was on a three-fight winning streak heading into her UFC flyweight championship match against Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko, but that came to a definitive end courtesy of a left leg kick in the second round of the co-main event of the UFC 238 card at the United Center in Chicago on June 8.

Despite the loss, Eye rediscovered her love of the mixed martial arts game in the lead up to the bout against Shevchenko and aims to come back stronger and better when she resumes her UFC career.

“So, I found this and I wear it on my face now,” Eye said in a caption accompanying a photo of her smiling on her Instagram page. “What do you think? Does it look good?”

After surviving two takedowns, spending nearly four minutes under Shevchenko’s control on the ground and withstanding a crucifix submission attempt in the final 30 seconds of the first round, Eye continued to advance toward the defending champion, but had no answer for the left roundhouse kick.

By setting up Eye with intense body kicks, Shevchenko landed a left leg kick to the right side of her opponent’s head for the finish in the first minute of the second round.

“Reflection ... I bummed it big time and laid in bed most the day,” Eye shared recently. “I cried, slept and smiled because what a life I have. I am truly proud of all the moments, even if they are sub-par at times, and difficulty seems to always be my best friend.

“I can’t help but think about everything that life has brought me in the last 15 weeks that lead us into fight week. I moved across the states in 10 days, new friends, missing old friends, new coaches and list can go on, but basically new life. I guess I am used to always carrying a heavy load and never giving myself any credit for what I do right but always what I do wrong. This was one of the scariest and hardest times in life, and even though I got KO’d terribly, I am still proud of all I did leading up to fight week.”

With the loss to Shevchenko, Eye fell to 14-7 with one no contest in her 10-year professional career, and suffered only her second-ever loss at flyweight. Now, Eye is 10-2 at 125 pounds, but she vows to bounce back and learn from the knockout loss.

“Believe me I am embarrassed for myself and my guys who did everything to help me, but this is the fight gamble we play,” Eye wrote. “After a week off of eating, drinking and not training, I’m ready to get back to work and never let that (stuff) happen to me again. Thank you to everyone who supported and believed in me.”

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