When one door closes, another opens, or so they say. And that’s the case with Jessica Eye.
Eye (10-1) was released by Bellator MMA on Aug. 13, along with the only other female fighter under contract with the promotion, Jessica Aguilar. She’s now the newest addition to the UFC women’s bantamweight roster.
The news was first reported by UFC Tonight on Tuesday.
Eye is on a seven-fight winning streak and is widely considered one of the top 125-pound female fighters in the world, but will be competing in the UFC’s only women’s division, the 135-pound weight class.
The UFC already has an idea for Eye’s first opponent. The promotion is targeting a match-up with former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman, according to UFC Tonight.
Kaufman (16-2) was set to make her UFC debut on Aug. 28 against Sara McMann, but McMann pulled out of the fight due to undisclosed personal reasons. Kaufman was removed from the card as a result.
In reaction to the possibility of facing Eye, Kaufman tweeted, “Interesting.”
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