Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
“Honestly, to tell you the truth, I, myself, was very surprised this happened,” Calvillo said on What the Heck.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) missed several weeks of competition thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, which shut down live events and large gatherings across the world. Now that quarantine restrictions have started to ease, the promotion has to make up for lost time.
With a limited talent pool.
That means some lineups are likely to feature main event match ups between competitors who might not ordinarily anchor a major UFC fight card, like the upcoming flyweight showdown between Cynthia Calvillo and Jessica Eye.
“When it happened, I was like, ‘I’m gonna take it,’” Calvillo told MMA Fighting. “I know a lot of people don’t agree with it but, honestly, F y’all to tell you the truth. What was I supposed to say, ‘No guys. I don’t agree with this main event. I don’t know why you guys did this, we’re not gonna do it?’ No, of course we’re gonna take it. As fighters and where we’re at, whoever would be in my position would absolutely, 100 percent take that fight. And if you guys want to shit on it, then go ahead. I guarantee you motherfuckers would do it.”
Calvillo (8-1-1) jumped out to a 5-1 record under the UFC banner after hooking up with the promotion roughly three years back. Her only blemish during that span was a decision loss to former strawweight champion and decorated wrestling standout Carla Esparza.
Eye (15-7, 1 NC) dropped down to the 125-pound division back in 2018, putting together three straight victories and earning herself a shot at flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, but came up empty in the UFC 238 co-main event roughly one year back.
They’ll headline the UFC card on June 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada, streaming on ESPN+.