Jessica Eye is scheduled to make her official return from retirement by competing in bare-knuckle boxing. Her debut opponent will be fellow former UFC fighter Mariya Agapova. This bout is slated for the upcoming BKFC 76 event on June 21st, taking place in Fort Worth, Texas.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) officials confirmed this anticipated matchup on Wednesday.
Eye, who had a mixed martial arts career spanning 27 fights, initially retired in 2022 following a series of four straight losses in the UFC. The ex-UFC title challenger remained out of competition until revealing her intention to fight again in April, subsequently signing a contract with BKFC.
In her prime, Eye was considered among the elite female fighters globally, holding rankings in both the bantamweight and flyweight divisions during her tenure. Her career highlight was challenging for the UFC flyweight championship in 2019, a fight where she was knocked out by a head kick from Valentina Shevchenko.
Regarding Agapova, the 28-year-old made a strong initial impression upon entering the UFC in 2020 with a dominant debut win. However, her momentum stalled quickly, suffering a loss to Sabina Mazo in her next outing. After that defeat, Agapova posted a 1-3 record in her subsequent four UFC bouts before being released from the promotion in July 2024.
Agapova is now transitioning to bare-knuckle competition, with her fight against Eye scheduled to be part of BKFC`s inaugural event held in Texas.
The BKFC 76 card is headlined by a championship rematch featuring Franco Tenaglia and Tony Soto. Their previous encounter was a memorable, action-packed fight, notably resulting in Conor McGregor awarding both participants double their fight purses due to their performance.
Marcus Blakely