Jessica Eye's no-decision following drug test muddles UFC bantamweight picture

(This story first appeared in today’s USA TODAY.)

A little more than three months after Jessica Eye won her UFC debut, the victory has been taken away.

Eye notched a narrow split-decision win over former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman at UFC 166 in Houston in October. But the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has changed the result of the bout to a no-decision after Eye “tested positive for a prohibited drug.”

The TDLR, which declined to specify what prohibited drug the bantamweight fighter tested positive for, also placed Eye (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on a “one-year fully probated suspension,” set to begin on Jan. 22, the date the order was signed this past month.

According to TDLR public information officer Susan Stanford, that means Eye is still eligible to fight Alexis Davis at UFC 170 in Las Vegas on Feb. 22 “as long as she complies with the administrative order.”

Exactly what’s in that administrative order, which MMAjunkie/USA TODAY Sports has requested a copy of, and what it means for a rising contender in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight class, seems unclear.

Although Eye also was fined $1,875 for failing the drug test, the suspension essentially amounts to a warning rather than an actual punishment. As long as Eye doesn’t run afoul of the TDLR during her yearlong probationary suspension, she won’t miss any time inside the cage. And while the win may not be staying on her record, Eye still got the benefit of it in the form of a fight with Davis, whom she’ll face in UFC 170's featured preliminary-card bout on Fox Sports 1.

Meanwhile, Kaufman is still without a fight, and still steaming over what she regards as a bad decision to begin with.

“I guess in a roundabout way, some justice was served,” Kaufman told USA TODAY Sports. “The Round 3 judging was so atrocious, which cost me the win and my win bonus. I deserved my win and my ranking in the bantamweight division.”

She’ll get neither, it seems, though at least the loss has been removed from her record. Sorting out how it affects the division as a whole, however, won’t be so easy.

With a win over Davis to follow her victory over Kaufman, many assumed that Eye might vault into title contention. Current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is slated to take on fellow Olympian Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, and a bout between two up-and-comers on the undercard seemed like perfect timing for selecting a future challenger as former top contender Cat Zingano continues her recovery from knee surgery.

So what does it do to the title picture to have Eye lose her only UFC win, all while being placed on a probationary suspension that may or may not kick in at some point during the next year? The UFC declined to comment. Eye told USA TODAY Sports via text message that she would dispute the findings.

“I can assure you I have not done anything wrong and this is really going to hurt Texas when all is said and done,” Eye said.

For now, it looks like the Eye-Davis fight will proceed as usual, leaving Kaufman to wonder whether the change in bout result will mean anything at all to her.

“I’m looking to fight as many times as possible in 2014,” Kaufman said. “I will be pushing hard for that title fight. That is all I know.”

(Pictured: Jessica Eye)

– Mike Bohn contributed to this report.