UFC 166 may have taken place four months, but for Jessica Eye, the event continues to remain a thorn in the 27-year-old’s side.
Eye scored a controversial split decision win over Sarah Kaufman in her Octagon debut at UFC 166. However earlier this month, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) quietly overturned the result to a “no decision,” citing a failed drug test on Eye’s part.
A subsequent report by Bleacher Report labeled the banned substance in question as a “blood-thinning medication used to treat a long-term issue stemming from an accident when [Eye] was hit by a drunk driver at 16 years old,” although a recent conflicting report by Bloody Elbow claimed that Eye tested positive not for blood-thinning medication, but for marijuana. The Texas commission later confirmed the report Monday.
On Monday, Eye appeared on The MMA Hour to discuss both allegations and give her side of the story.
“I’m continuously trying to clear the air for you guys, but there’s some things on my end that I have to make sure that — I don’t want to say anything for anyone to use against me, but there were some mistakes that I made on my behalf that I didn’t give enough knowledge (to the commission) ahead of time,” a cautious Eye said to host Ariel Helwani.
“It was just something, I made a mistake on my behalf. I’m going to continue to push forward and just not let anything like this ever happen again, or ever leave any kind of allegations out there to be kind of put out there about me.”
Eye refused to elaborate too extensively on the situation, only stating that her primary mistake was not “putting things down that were properly supposed to be done” in regards to pre-fight paperwork for the Texas state commission.
“It was my first UFC fight, there was a lot of things going on,” Eye explained. “That was the first time I’ve ever fought in a different state. I mean, I fought in Atlantic City and Ohio, and I thought I’ve always done things properly, and you know what, it was a mistake on my behalf, and I’m going to continue to fix it. I can’t help what allegations or what things that people want to bring up.
“What I can tell you is, I’m not doing anything to try to hurt anybody, but I’m also not doing anything so I don’t hurt myself,” Eye concluded.
The TDLR issued Eye a $1,875 fine and placed the fighter on a “probationary suspension” as a result of her failed drug test. However the unique nature of the probationary suspension still allows Eye to proceed as planned with her scheduled bout against Alexis Davis at UFC 170.
Of course, had the TDLR never stepped in, Eye would be gunning for a second-straight win over top-5 UFC opposition, along with a potential front row seat for the next title shot against the winner of Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann. Her future now, though, appears much more murky, particularly with the Kaufman win essentially evaporating off her record.
“I mean, we can’t rewrite history in that way. I walked away with that win, no matter what happened,” Eye said flatly. “Regardless of whether or not Sarah Kaufman believes that or anybody else, I walked away with that victory, and in my heart, I feel good about it. I took a lot from that fight. Obviously no one said anything about being the No. 1 contender, but look, this is a game of process of elimination. You’ve got 10 girls lined up. Have you fought her? Have you fought her? Okay, now you two fight. At some point, I want to fight the best.”
The past few weeks have admittedly been frustrating for Eye, especially when coupling her commission issues with the much larger struggle in her life — her father’s ongoing battle against Glioblastoma, a rare, aggressive and potentially fatal brain tumor.
Regardless, with the situation in Texas still in flux, and her dialogue with the TDLR ongoing, Eye isn’t willing to incriminate herself just to satiate a demanding public.
“I’ve never done things that other people wanted me to do,” Eye said. “So just because everybody else wants to hear things out of my mouth, or wants me to say certain things, I’m not going to do it just because it’s going to make other people feel better, or give them fuel. That’s not how I work, man. I work under my terms.”
The one thing Eye is willing to disclose, however, is that she has already passed all pre-fight testing for UFC 170 and obtained her license to fight in Las Vegas ahead of February 22. And despite some rumblings claiming otherwise, she hasn’t deleted her Twitter page — she’s simply placed it on temporary suspension so she can escape the noise for a few days and clear her head.
“I’m not doing PEDs, I’m not doing anything that I shouldn’t be doing,” Eye said in closing. “Yet again, I will continue to say that I took all tests, again, to get my license, and have continuously passed.
“I’m not a cheater. Never am, never will be, and don’t ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever want to see myself ever be put in a position where I have to defend myself in the way that I am now.”