A veteran of the UFC is returning from a combat sports retirement, but not to re-commence her career inside the Octagon.
Jessica Eye competed 16 times on mixed martial arts' biggest stage after signing in 2013, recording victories over the likes of Katlyn Cerminara and Viviane Araújo.
Her peak came in 2019 when she challenged Valentina Shevchenko for the women's flyweight title. Eye ultimately ended up securing a spot on "Bullet's" highlight reel after being knocked out by a brutal head kick at UFC 238.
A four-fight losing skid soon followed, and after a decision setback to Maycee Barber in mid-2022, "Evil" Eye called time on her career.
Three years later, the now 38-year-old is set to resume her stint in combat sports under a new banner — Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
During an appearance on Tuesday's episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Eye announced her new venture while taking a dig at the UFC, who she said did not 'take care' of her.
After a long time of negotiation, I am signing with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship," Eye said. "I started out boxing... They finally came financially correct and motivated me enough to be like, you know what? Maybe these guys will take care of me in a way that I wasn't taken care of in my UFC fights and that's financially rewarding.
With that, Eye marks the latest in a slew of notable UFC names to cross over to the world of bare-knuckle boxing. Prominent MMA figures like Mike Perry, Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez, Ben Rothwell, Chad Mendes, and Paige VanZant have also appeared in the BKFC ring.