To hear Jessica Eye tell it, it’s only a matter of time before she’s fighting Ronda Rousey for the UFC title. At the moment she’s booked against Miesha Tate, a fight Dana had tell her about with the caveat of “please don’t punch me,” after Eye threatened to punch someone if she didn’t get the next title shot. But, Eye seems fine with the booking, especially since White “pinkie promised that I will get my chance.” Still, that doesn’t mean that the potential bantamweight contender has stopped thinking about her potential fight with Ronda Rousey, as she was happy to share her plans for the bout with Submission Radio during her trip to Australia for UFC Fight Night Adelaide.
“I think that me and Ronda are going to fight. I think that you’re going to see two champions fighting. I think you’re going to see two top level women fighting, and I think the fight could be finished – It could be finished, it could go to decision, but you’re going to see – like I said earlier with Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather. I felt like they didn’t fight. I felt the same way about Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz. I feel like you have two of the best in the world, why was no one bleeding? Why was there no craziness? Why wasn’t there like, ‘oh my gosh’. Like I want the fans to see a fight between me and the champion and be like ‘it was a fight you’ll never forget. It was something that was amazing. It was just……it was something out of this world that people are gonna talk about forever’. Just like they talked about her armbars, they’re going to talk about that moment when Jessica Eye and the champion – it could be Ronda Rousey, it could be Bethe, it could be whoever. No matter what happens, they’re going to say ‘I remember the day that Jessica Eye won the UFC title’.”
That confidence also doesn’t mean that Eye is sure that it’s Ronda Rousey she’d be facing. Although she’s picking the champion to defend her belt against Bethe Correia at UFC 190, Eye suggested that that had more to do with her desire to fight Rousey than being absolutely sure Rousey would win.
“Remember it’s fighting, you guys. Anything is possible. The crazy of craziest things have happened inside that cage, and fights have been finished at the most weirdest ways. So do I think it’s possible that Bethe [Correia] could win? Yes I do. Do I think Ronda’s going to win? I’m favouring more towards it. I think I’m favouring more towards [Ronda] because I want to be the one to dethrone the champion. I want to be that person. You know and why wouldn’t I want to be that person? Why wouldn’t I want to go down in the history books? Why wouldn’t I want to be the one that – it’s almost like it’s an empire fall, you know and get that chance to rebuild and just be something bigger.”
She also spoke about Cris Cyborg, her fight with Miesha Tate, and how difficulties in her life have shaped her into a better fighter in the ring. So, check out the whole thing.
Jessica Eye takes on Miesha Tate at UFC on Fox 16 on July 25th in Chicago, Illinois. The card is set to be headlined by the title rematch between bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw and former champion Renan Barao. Stay tuned for more news and updates.
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