UFC Fight Night 172: Jessica Eye to face Cynthia Calvillo in main event

The fight will take place at the UFC Apex situated in Las Vegas.

UFC recently announced that the much-anticipated 'UFC FIGHT ISLAND' events will be held on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island from July and four events will be produced there including UFC 251. Leading up to the much-anticipated venue and fights, UFC returns this weekend with women taking centre stage for the second week in a row as Jessica Eye squares off against Cynthia Calvillo.

This fight could go a long way in determining the next challenger to reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko. The co-main event will feature a middleweight division clash between Karl Roberson and Marvin Vettori, which has been scheduled on multiple occasions, but yet to make it to the Octagon.

A former flyweight title challenger, Jessica Eye, welcomes a long-time strawweight contender, Cynthia Calvillo, to the 125-pound weight class in the main event. This fight is sure to have a significant impact on the flyweight division and the championship picture going forward.

Last summer, Jessica Eye challenged Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title but was surprised by the thunderous head kick of Valentina just 28 seconds into the second round. The 33-year-old veteran returned to the win column last time out with a win over Viviane Araujo at UFC 245 and will now look to continue her dominance inside the Octagon in a search for a revenge fight against Valentina Shevchenko for the Flyweight title.

Speaking to the media before the fight, Jessica said, “It’s a great opportunity regardless of who the opponent is. To fight on the main event is a dream coming true for a lot of fighters so regardless of the situation I’m taking the opportunity for myself because I want it."

Cynthia Calvillo is coming into this fight on a three-fight unbeaten streak and has suffered only one loss in her professional career, a unanimous decision loss to Carla Esparza in December 2017. The American has already registered wins over current UFC flyweights Gillian Robertson and Montana De La Rosa and now will look to take on Jessica Eye in what could be a potential career-changing fight.

She said, “I’m gonna go out there and put on the performance of my life, especially going up to 125. These weight cuts are going to be easy money for me. I can take these short-notice fights and I’m excited to be able to do that again. I’m taking Dana up on that offer to have at least four fights this year. I’m gonna get that done-a main event or no main event.”

The fight here is going to be one that features a couple of great fighters, but it will also be the one that does go the distance as neither one of them have a tendency to end the fight early on. Both women are scrappy and usually happy to engage, so this should be a spirited affair from start to finish.