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Andrew Whitelaw from Sportskeeda MMA brings us another fun and interesting interview, this time with Jessica Eye. Over the course of the interview, Eye spoke about her recovery, upcoming fight with Maycee Barber, Ronda Rousey's comments, OnlyFans, and much more.
Jessica 'Evil' Eye is a women's flyweight fighter in the UFC and holds a professional record of 15 wins and 10 losses. Before making her UFC debut in 2014, she previously fought for Bellator and will face Maycee Barber at UFC 276.
Check out the best bits with the transcription below, or watch the full interview.
Transcript:
Q: How do you feel about her [Maycee Barber] as a fighter and do you have any relationship with her as a person?
Have you come across her much?
A: This time she was over at the UFC PI [and] she was all by herself and she was sitting all alone.
And just, I could tell she felt, you know, alone, she had just won her Contender Series, my little brother at the time was like “hey you know that’s Maycee Barber, she just won The Contender Series”.
And because, you know, I wanted to congratulate another fellow woman in the industry [I] went over.
And I was like “hey congratulations on your win, would you like to sit with us? Because you look like you don’t have anybody to sit with, and we’d love to welcome you”.
So over the years she’s always been super cool, you know complements my clothes, complements the woman that I am.
And the person I am, so [I’m] not surprised she called me out when she called me out after that last fight.
I mean, you only call out winners, so we all know that I won the Jennifer fight, Jennifer Maia fight.
It was just blood that had, you know, swayed the way the judges felt with that. So when she called me out.
I just kind of felt it was like a young girl in the industry trying to make her name against, you know, a vet, you know, in that way.
And I felt that she’s bit off more than she can chew. And I’ll just let her do all the talking, that’s what she likes to do.
Humbling fights will come along, like mine will be to her that will make her realize you don’t just talk to talk.
You talk with essence as a woman and you know, professionalism.
Q: In terms of contests for you, where do you see as stronger? Where do you see yourself winning this fight?
A: I think no matter where the fight goes I’m better, but I think ultimately just by the level of experience.
Like, you know, after watching her fights, even having my opinion on some of her wins that she had.
You know, I see a lot, I see a very young girl in this industry that will have to, just like every single one of us, take her stripes and earn them as she goes.
And then become better, I mean the fact that she thinks or that anybody thinks that Maycee’s going to just come in and finish me and beat me up.
I mean, the other girls she fought, she didn’t do that to, what makes her think [for] one second that she’s going to come in and do that to me.
Q: It was interesting to see Ronda Rousey say she’d come back for Gina Carano, how does that make you feel as one of the most significant women in the history of female MMA?
And also, who do you see as the most important woman in the history of this sport?
A: Well, you know, honestly the two most ultimate women, and I think that it goes back before you know women mixed martial arts.
But the most notable names that people are going to recognise are going to be, you know, Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg.
You know, I mean let’s face it, those two names are, who put it [womens’ mixed martial arts] on the map.
But if you’re someone like me who’s [spent] 15 years in the industry, you know the who’s-who and the originals.
Women like Rosie Sexton, you know what I mean? Rose Sexton, Tara La Rosa, Debbie Purcell.
They were the originals, you know, that were putting out women’s fights.
Q: How do you feel about the top of the division right now? Because this division changes very quickly.
You know, one win and then you’re right back in that top five potentially.
How are you feeling about the top right now? How did you feel about Shevchenko’s last fight?
You know, what are you looking at right now at the top of the division?
A: You know, I really [think] like anyone can get it at this point, you know, and I just want to make fun matchups for myself.
And whatever puts me in the best possible position to get back to the title, you know I have not fought at my best.
And it’s literally true health issues [that] I have faced that have kept me from being my best self.
And I'm just like, I almost don’t even really want to talk about it, like I didn’t want to do interviews.
I just want to go out and like showcase it [skills], you know, I mean I’ve been vocal [for] many years in my career.
About always trying to feel better and always be better than the next [opponent], but really truly passing a parasite and finding out [that] you’ve had this in your body for years.
Would you actually think I contracted it in Singapore, you know it’s just crazy to me, I know right?
My life has been forever changed and even like my attitude as a person, it’s much [more] different these days.
You don’t go through some medical experiences like that without coming out of [your] head, I can’t fight.
And without health, I don’t get to experience anything so.
Q: I saw you supported Bec Rawlings recently, we’ve got MVP vs. Mike Perry, what do you think of BKFC?
Do you like to watch it? Would it appeal to you at all? I know that you compete in all sorts of grappling competitions outside of the UFC.
How do you feel about bare knuckle in general?
A: I mean, hey, to each of those their own, you know what? I mean like if that’s the way you want to fight.
Like, I’m not really me personally like I don’t, unless the paycheck was right, like I don’t think I’d go to bare knuckle.
You know what I mean, like if I’m not in the UFC, more than likely I’m retiring, you know what I mean.
Going on to the other endeavors, I want to, you know, maybe AEW or WWE, you know, going into some of that kind of entertainment.
Those are [the] other things that I love and you know, I’ve never gotten a chance to do it and it’s hard to do both.
You can’t do both worlds, they’re not the same, because you know, there’s a level of theatrics and you know we’re real life fighting in the UFC.
So you know, ultimately I appreciate that, I appreciate what she does, not only with her career choices as a fighter.
But her career choices as a woman also you know, I think everybody should be able to be doing what they want.
And she’s caught heat for some of her choices with her OnlyFans and stuff, and I support her or whatever she wants to do.
Q: Yeah I mean, the Onlyfans thing Paige Van Zant said that she makes more money with that than she did with the UFC.
I mean is it, can you be crazy lucrative with it? And people of like from other opportunities.
Has that opened up other opportunities? For you like maybe, wrestling or show business, that kind of thing?
A: Yeah, absolutely it’s opened up way other opportunities, it paid for all the health stuff I had to go through to get rid of a parasite.
You know, the UFC don’t pay for that, the UFC didn’t pay for my gallbladder being removed, like they didn’t pay for my parasite.
Like they don’t pay for that, so people think like “oh man UFC fighters” like we have to pay for everything.
Coaches, food, you know, like, you have to do all of that. Unless you’re at the PI, which is [when] most of us go there, we get some level of food.
But you’ve got to pay for all that, so you know, thank god for us using what god gave, and that is our born abilities and our physical appearances.
Timestamps:
Introduction: Ladies and gentlemen [give] a warm welcome to Jessica Eye [who’s] going up against Maycee Barber at UFC 276.
Jessica, great to see you, I think I first spoke to you a long time ago when you fought Jessica Rose Clark in Singapore.
That was a great night for you, you seem to be doing so well, from your Instagram you’ve been full of positive energy.
How’s preparations been going for this one? (0:00)
Q: How frustrating has the past year or so been for you, you know you had some bad luck with results.
And then fights just falling through for you and of course the health issues, do you feel you’re about to turn a big corner in that respect?
You seem, as I said, massively positive. (0:45)
Q: It’s interesting this sport is full of so many highs and also lows of course but if we go back to that Jessica-Rose Clark win.
I remember how much that fight meant to you, that you knew you were going to win that fight.
And then you went on and you beat Katlyn Chookagian in your next fight as well and careers are full of all sorts of different pillars right?
Do you feel like, you’re on the cusp of another big pillar right now? (1:27)
Q: How do you feel about her [Maycee Barber] as a fighter and do you have any relationship with her as a person?
Have you come across her much? (2:20)
Q: In terms of contests for you, where do you see yourself as stronger? Where do you see yourself winning this fight? (3:46)
Q: It was interesting to see Ronda Rousey say she’d come back for Gina Carano, how does that make you feel as one of the most significant women in the history of female MMA?
And also, who do you see as the most important woman in the history of this sport? (4:32)
Q: How do you feel about the top of the division right now? Because this division changes very quickly.
You know, one win and then you’re right back in that top five potentially.
How are you feeling about the top right now? How did you feel about Shevchenko’s last fight?
You know, what are you looking at right now at the top of the division? (5:28)
Q: You’ve given so much to this sport, what does your legacy mean to you? How do you want to be remembered as a fighter? (6:55)
Q: Is there something special about Cleveland, we’ve seen Stipe we’ve seen the CAVS [Cleveland Cavaliers] many years ago.
Like, is there a special kind of Cleveland strength, Cleveland attitude, I’ve not been there myself. (7:28)
Q: I saw you supported Bec Rawlings recently, we’ve got MVP vs. Mike Perry, what do you think of BKFC?
Do you like to watch it? Would it appeal to you at all? I know that you compete in all sorts of grappling competitions outside of the UFC.
How do you feel about bare knuckle in general? (7:58)
Q: Yeah I mean, the Onlyfans thing Paige Van Zandt said that she makes more money with that than she did with the UFC.
I mean is it, can you be crazy lucrative with it? And people of like from other opportunities.
Has that opened up other opportunities? For you like maybe, wrestling or show business, that kind of thing? (9:20)
Q: Are you feeling an 'Evil Eye' bonus then? Is it about time, do you sense a bonus coming in [with] this next one? (10:13)
Q: Good for you mate, smashing it and also mutli tasking, on the move interview, love it, maximum respect.
Jessica Eye, thank you very much. (10:56)
