Jessica Eye knows the importance of headlining the prelims for a pay-per-view.
Eye and Bethe Correia will be given a stage Saturday night to perform on at UFC 203, completing the early prelims on FOX Sports 1.
For Eye, the bout could be described as the most important of her career to date. The 30-year-old Ohio native currently calls Cleveland home and will be competing in front of friends and family.
Add in the fact that she is just 1-4 over her last five and hasn’t won since 2014, and it is easy to see why Eye (11-5) is focused solely on topping Correia, a former title contender.
“This is an important time in my career. This is do-or-die for both Bethe and me,” she said earlier this week. “I’ve not been told I’m getting cut, but I’m looking at it that way. Up until now I’ve been underestimating myself, but now it’s time to turn it on.”
Eye has tested herself against the best of the bantamweight division, falling to former champion Miesha Tate via decision, top contender Julianna Pena via decision and former title challengers Sara McMann and Alexis Davis via decision. The loss to Davis was a split that went against her that night.
“I believe there’s a reason I’m here under these circumstances,” she said. “Maybe I was feeling sorry for myself, or thinking I’d made it this far so I should be happy, but how can I just settle? I’ve always told people I’m the kind of woman who doesn’t just settle. I keep going.
“It’s going to be a knockout Saturday night. I’m not settling for anything less.”
