UFC 170 is now underway. The card features a women’s bantamweight title fight between Sara McMann and Ronda Rousey, a pair of American Olympic medalists who have transitioned to mixed martial arts from wrestling and judo, respectively.
The night’s co-m…
UFC 170 is now underway. The card features a women’s bantamweight title fight between Sara McMann and Ronda Rousey, a pair of American Olympic medalists who have transitioned to mixed martial arts from wrestling and judo, respectively.
The night’s co-main event is a strange one, indeed. While Daniel Cormier has the star power to comfortably fill a headliner’s role, injury replacement Patrick Cummins is hardly a household name. With just four pro fights to his credit, the promotional newcomer is certainly jumping headfirst into the fire.
Rounding out the ticket is an additional nine-bout package that will play on Fight Pass, Fox Sports 1 and pay-per-view. The entire UFC 170 card plays out as follows:
UFC 170 Main Card
Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann
Daniel Cormier vs. Patrick Cummins
Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia
Mike Pyle def. TJ Waldburger, TKO (Round 3, 4:03)
Stephen Thompson def. Robert Whittaker, TKO (Round 1, 3:43)
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
Alexis Davis def. Jessica Eye, Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Raphael Assuncao def. Pedro Munhoz, Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
MMA history will be made on Saturday night as, for the first time ever, two undefeated Olympians will clash inside the Octagon for a UFC championship.
UFC Women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will put her title on the line against silver-me…
MMA history will be made on Saturday night as, for the first time ever, two undefeated Olympians will clash inside the Octagon for a UFC championship.
UFC Women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will put her title on the line against silver-medal wrestler Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170.
In 2008, Rousey became the first American woman to medal in the Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Since transitioning into MMA, Rousey has thoroughly dominated every competitor thrown her way with eight consecutive armbar victories.
But she’s never fought anyone like McMann. In 2004, McMann became the first American woman to win a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Like Rousey, she has gone undefeated since making the move to MMA, and she’s hungry to pull off the upset.
RedHotVegas.com’sRoni Taylor is back to help me break down this card. This time, Ms. Taylor and I are going head-to-head with our predictions. Let’s see who comes out on top!
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship: Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann
Ciccarelli: UFC President Dana White has been very vocal in his claims that Ronda Rousey is the “biggest PPV draw in the history of the UFC.” As popular as Ronda is, that is an absurd statement to make without the numbers to back it up.
The UFC is also claiming in pre-fight video packages that Rousey is the “first woman to medal in the Olympics for Judo.” That is not true either. She was the first American to medal but far from being the first woman overall.
Do you feel like the UFC is going way over the top in its promotion of the UFC women’s bantamweight champion?
Taylor: Let’s not forget what Dana White’s primary job is for the UFC: fight promotion. He is the P.T. Barnum of the 21st century, and while we may not agree with all that he says, he certainly is good at what he does. I, for one, happen to enjoy the hype that Dana whips into his media scrums and interviews.
I tend to only believe about 70 percent of what flies out of Dana’s mouth, so that way my head doesn’t explode when he spouts off something ridiculous. As far as the UFC promoting this upcoming fight, I am super happy that the women are getting the attention they deserve.
As a martial arts practitioner (a lowly white belt in BJJ), it brings me great pride to see female MMA fighters not only performing on the biggest stage in the world, but also getting top billing.
Ciccarelli: I wrote in the beginning of the year that McMann is Rousey‘s worst nightmare, and I’m sticking to that. As talented as Rousey is, I think she’s going to be walking right into her kryptonite here with McMann. Maybe you feel differently, though: What’s your take on the main event?
Taylor: While it is a true battle of the Olympians, I honestly don’t think this is going to be a fair fight. Wrestling and judo may both be grappling arts, but their differences outweigh their similarities. I don’t know if you noticed what happened when Miesha Tate tried to use her wrestling to take down Rousey in her last fight. It wasn’t pretty.
For the advanced MMA fan it was quite a display of judo beauty with a whole slew of throws like the harai goshi and uchimata. I even think I saw a “Judo Chop!” (said in my best Austin Powers voice) in there somewhere. I see this fight going down very much like the Tate fight, with Ronda getting the better of the takedown battle, time and time again.
Rousey’s striking has continued to improve, and that added weapon really allows her to pick and choose her openings. I think McMann is going to get frustrated and try to rush in on Ronda. The end result will be an inside leg throw with Ronda landing on top in side control and of course….drum roll please…finishing with her trademarked armbar.
Taylor’s pick: Rousey by second-round submission (armbar)
Ciccarelli’s pick: McMann by unanimous decision
Daniel Cormier vs. Pat Cummins
Ciccarelli: In the co-main event, we have a bit of a Rocky story brewing here between another former Olympian in Daniel Cormier and UFC newcomer Pat Cummins. Cormier was originally slated to take on Rashad Evans in his debut at 205 pounds, but when Evans pulled out with an injury, the UFC called Cummins up from a coffee shop in Orange County. Literally.
Apparently, Cummins used to train with Cormier back in the day when “D.C.” was training for the Olympics. He’s been going around telling people that he used to make Cormier “cry” on the mats, and that isn’t sitting well with Cormier at all.
Cummins is 4-0 in his MMA career, all finishes thus far but do you really think he’s as good as he claims to be or will Cormier cut through him like a knife through butter?
Taylor: I only recently watched a couple of Pat Cummins’ fights, and honestly, I was underwhelmed with his wrestling. I know he has a NCAA Division I pedigree to die for, but I truly think he will be outwrestled by Daniel Cormier and most certainly outstruck by him as well.
Cormier has already battled a who’s who of top names in the MMA world, and I think Cummins will crumble under DC’s fast, aggressive pressure. This fight will be a first-round TKO domination by the former Strikeforce Grand-Prix champ.
Ciccarelli: Up next, in the welterweight division, we have Tristar phenom Rory MacDonald going up against jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia. MacDonald dropped a decision to Robbie Lawler back at UFC 167, but he’s still considered a future champion by many of the sport’s top analysts.
Maia’s run toward a welterweight title shot was temporarily halted in his last fight with Jake Shields, but a win over MacDonald could bump the Brazilian right back where he was. How do you see this one playing out?
Taylor: This is a tough one for me. I really like the poise and well-rounded game that Rory brings to the Octagon, but Demian Maia has been on a tear at welterweight. Both men are coming off of split-decision losses and will be hungry to get back in the win column.
While his striking has improved markedly over the past few years, I don’t think Demian will be able to use it well enough to stifle Rory’s outside striking capabilities. I think Rory will use his crisp kick boxing to pick apart the jiu-jitsu specialist long enough to earn a decision victory.
Sadly, this one will probably end up being a boring battle of two guys trying to not lose two in a row.
Taylor’s pick: MacDonald by unanimous decision
Ciccarelli’s pick: MacDonald by unanimous decision
Mike Pyle vs. TJ Waldburger
Ciccarelli: Speaking of welterweights, we have two more 170-pounders squaring off here who are coming off losses. Mike Pyle was riding an impressive four-fight win streak before Matt Brown made quick work of him at UFC Fight Night 26.
Pyle will be looking to get back in the win column against TJ Waldburger on the live pay-per-view portion of the card. Do you see “Quicksand” getting back on track or will Waldburger surprise us?
Taylor: I’m excited to watch my fellow Las Vegas resident, Mike Pyle, smash out another W on his record. Mike has only lost two of his last nine fights. I know he has been diligently working on his stand-up game to go along with his amazing grappling.
While TJ is no slouch in the grappling department, I give the edge to Pyle if it hits the ground. I don’t think it will make it that far, though. I see Mike Pyle pushing himself into the UFC’s top 10 welterweights with a first-round TKO.
Taylor’s pick: Pyle by first-round TKO
Ciccarelli’s pick: Pyle by first-round submission (guillotine choke)
Stephen Thompson vs. Robert Whittaker
Ciccarelli: South Carolina native Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will be making his PPV debut against TUF:The Smashes winner, Robert Whittaker. “Wonderboy” is riding a two-fight win streak and has a lot of hype surrounding him. What’s your prediction here?
Taylor: Ever since I first heard about “Wonderboy,” I have been excited to see him live up to the accolades he was paid by a lot of the top guys in the MMA world. There is no doubt he is an elite striker, but when it comes to grappling, Matt Brown found him out real quickly back at UFC 145.
Whittaker doesn’t bring anything special as far as striking is concerned into this fight, so as long as Wonderboy has continued to hone his takedown defense, it’s going to be a rough night for Whittaker.
I’d love to see Thompson open up with some of his flashy kicking and give us all something to cheer about with a huge KO in the first round.
Taylor’s pick: Thompson by first-round TKO
Ciccarelli’s pick: Thompson by unanimous decision
Alexis Davis vs. Jessica Eye
Ciccarelli: While not technically on the PPV main card, I still wanted to talk about the other women’s matchup on the card. Alexis Davis has been on fire, long before she made her debut in the UFC. The Cesar Gracie product is riding a four-fight win streak, including submission wins over HitomiAkano and Shayna Baszler.
Eye has been under a lot of criticism lately, but I’m not here to harp on that. She is an extremely talented fighter despite being one of the smaller women in her division. Her decision victory over former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman at UFC 166 was changed to a no-contest, but a win over Davis will catapult her way up the rankings.
How do you see this fight playing out?
Taylor: This is another great women’s fight that will be a classic matchup. Eye likes to throw the jab out there and asserts herself with her striking skills, while Davis likes to bully people around in the clinch game.
Unless the fighter is a world-class striker, I tend to go with the better grappler, and in this matchup, I’m picking Davis to win by TKO in the third. I think she is going to close the distance, push Eye up against the cage and wear her down, finally getting the ref to stop the fight with some nasty ground-and-pound.
Mitch Ciccarelli is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and co-host of Alchemist Radio. He is also a United States Airman. Follow him on Twitter @MitchCiccarelli.
There’s more on the line in UFC 170 than just titles.
One of the most pervasive narratives in the UFC is “athleticism.” Fans and promotion both value Ronda Rousey, Rory MacDonald and Daniel Cormier for their pure athleticism; and…
There’s more on the line in UFC 170 than just titles.
One of the most pervasive narratives in the UFC is “athleticism.” Fans and promotion both value Ronda Rousey, Rory MacDonald and Daniel Cormier for their pure athleticism; and all three could damage the basis of those reputations if they lose at UFC 170.
Ronda is the “it” thing for 2014 without GSP and Anderson Silva—who are still on the edges of the action but not in it. Her fame rests on total control of the class and the license she gets to act out as a result. As the UFC refuses to let us forget, she has Olympic pedigree.
She’s the new shining star; a volatile, immensely talented brand of her own. The UFC invests so much time and energy inflating and praising her status that her first loss could be tougher than necessary. If she loses to fellow Olympian Sara McMann, she’ll be exposed as less of a champ and more of a supreme athlete controlling a thin division.
We all remember Rousey’s barb against Meisha Tate’s high school wrestling. That both confirmed Rousey’s own supremacy and undermined it. Ronda glorifies her own advanced success while admitting its relationship to her advanced training.
Rousey is the queen of a division that hasn’t established itself at the same rate as its male counterpart. While thousands of UFC fighting men came up through the professional ranks over the last 20 years, the women’s division is only now getting the attention it deserves; and the resulting training necessities.
If Rousey loses, she destroys the narrative the UFC has built around her. She loses her right to continue her persona with impunity and she loses her status as a lone elite among lesser athletes.
Similar to Rousey is Rory MacDonald. MacDonald has lots to prove after being hailed the next big thing in mixed martial arts—the inheritor to mentor Georges St-Pierre’s athleticism and ambassadorship.
After MacDonald’s uncharacteristically lackluster loss to Robbie Lawler, the hype died as Lawler got the shot for the vacant welterweight title against Johny Hendricks. If the Canadian loses now, he could deal a deathblow to the credibility he partially damaged losing to Lawler. He needs a win now to reestablish himself as the potential great we thought he was, which is no easy task against Demian Maia’s jiu-jitsu.
Daniel Cormier faces a challenge of not only credibility, but character. Patrick Cummins’ bean-spilling about Cormier’s in-gym tears created an ugly hatred between the two. Cormier’s inaugural light heavyweight match, originally set against now-injured Rashad Evans, took a nosedive.
Plenty of press built up Daniel Cormier as an especially athletic figure in a non-athletic weight class. As the only other heavyweight with the same kind of sportsmanship, he denied a chance to test his mettle. He protected champion Cain Velasquez, refusing to fight his friend and leaving doubts about his ability. If Cormier loses, we can begin to believe the murmurs of him being a fight dodger or, at the very least, a lesser fighter than we’d hoped he was going to be.
Every time UFC women’s bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey enters the Octagon, it’s a big deal.
Her next dance in the cage is set for Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas. Her opponent is fourth-ranked women&r…
Every time UFC women’s bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey enters the Octagon, it’s a big deal.
Her next dance in the cage is set for Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas. Her opponent is fourth-ranked women’s bantamweight Sara McMann. Check out this amazing but sobering tweet from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden:
Less than two months ago, Rousey won a thrilling rematch with bitter rival Miesha “Cupcake” Tate. The champion was extended beyond the first round for the first time in her career.
Ultimately she made Tate tap out to the armbar—just like in their first meeting and just like in every other Rousey bout in her mixed martial arts career.
On Saturday, she will be looking to collect another arm for her trophy case. McMann’s guns are pretty impressive, though. The struggle could be real in the main event.
Those expecting a war of words that preceded Rousey’s second clash with Tate might be disappointed in the buildup to this fight. Little time has passed since Rousey’s last fight, but the women have been downright pleasant and respectfulto each other in every interview and public appearance.
Rousey holds McMann in high regard. Per Dave Doyle of Yahoo! Sports, Rousey said this about McMann’s athletic prowess at a media event promoting the fight: “I couldn’t be more excited than to have an athlete on Sara’s level to test myself against. It raises the whole level for everyone. I don’t have a bad thing to say about her.”
Likewise, McMann has been non-confrontational with the champion. In an interview with Yael Grauer of Sherdog.com, she talked about Rousey getting a bad rap for her image:
I think people are getting way, way, way too worked up about her personality. Some people are treating it like they hate her. I’m like, really? There are people in this world who you should hate and there are pedophiles or people who beat up old people and take their money.
There are some rotten, despicable people who are orchestrating genocides in other countries, and yes, if you’re going to hate anyone, then by all means, hate them; but really to hate a girl just because what she says aggravates you?
I just don’t think it’s worthy of hate. It’s someone that you wouldn’t invite to your Christmas party, but worthy of hate? I don’t see it. I mean, I just think that it’s so blown out of proportion.
The love fest will end once the fight begins, but this is a new look for the hype of a Rousey fight.
The co-feature lost a ton of shine when “Suga” Rashad Evans was forced to pull out of his fight with friend and training partner Daniel “DC” Cormier.
Evans’ replacement is a little-known fighter named Patrick “Durkin” Cummins. If you just said, “Who,” don’t feel behind the curve.
Most MMA fans had a similar reaction when news spread about Cummins stepping in to face Cormier. They can only hope he’s competitive against a fighter who is more experienced and far more well-known.
If you’re looking for the information needed to tune in to watch UFC 170, as well as the card rundown and predictions, we got you covered.
There’s deeper analysis on the three biggest fights on the card just below the table and predictions for the Fight Night bonuses.
MacDonald vs. Maia
“Ares'” Last Chance to Be Special
For years, we’ve heard folks rave about MacDonald’s all-around skill set and killer instinct. At some point he was supposed to ascend to a level that would put him on a collision course with his mentor, UFC legend Georges-St. Pierre.
When he was just 20 years old, he suffered a setback when he was stopped by “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit at UFC 115. Condit is one of the era’s best and MacDonald was still so green that the loss was excused and chalked up to youth.
After that bout, “Ares” strung together five straight—mostly impressive—wins. He beat Nate Diaz, Mike Pyle, Che Mills, BJ Penn and Jake Ellenberger. You won’t find a much better list of victims in such a short span of time.
In Nov. 2013, he ran into a determined and refocused “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and lost a split decision. One judge scored it for MacDonald, but it seemed clear that the only round Ares won was the second.
Though he’s still just 24 years old, it’s time for him to separate himself and show that he’s the machine—with almost no weaknesses—that most people believe he is.
Maia is a great submissions fighter who has worked very hard to improve his striking. That said, he’s 12 years older than MacDonald, not as good of an athlete and has a reach that is 4.5” shorter. It’s hard to see a scenario where he beats MacDonald.
If it does happen, the promise of MacDonald ever becoming a superstar is over.
Second Opinion
Most of the rabid MMA community at Tapology.com also believes MacDonald will win on Saturday. According the poll on the MacDonald vs. Maia fight page, 73 percent of the voters believe Ares will come out on top.
Cormier vs. Cummins
Is This Really a Co-Main Event?
The short and sensible answer is no.
Rearranging the card to put MacDonald vs. Maia behind Cormier vs. Cummins is just semantics. The ho-hum bout is still on the card.
At the presser, Cormier tried to make us care or believe there was some genuine hostility between him and Cummins. Check out this shove that looks like it should have been on a bad episode of WWE NXT:
Is he really pretending to bite his bottom lip to conceal his intensity?
UFC head man Dana White has done everything he can to put this bout over. At this point he really has no other choice. White told ESPN this about Evans’ injury, replacement and Cummins’ Cinderella chances:
That’s the fight business. Listen, if this guy is coming in and nobody knows him, whatever, and Cormier is who we think he is, he should smoke him then. If not, I don’t know. I like it. You want to talk about a ‘Rocky’ story? This kid is the real Rocky. I like it.
Well, going along with that analogy, Cormier is going to be Apollo Creed in the original Rocky movie. If anyone remembers the result of that bout—in between all the cries for Adrian and dramatic imagery—Rocky lost and was just happy to have gone the distance.
That could be the case in this one, minus the internal bleeding from Creed…err, Cormier.
Despite the obvious gap in experience and opposition, Cummins hasn’t fought since May 2013.
The underdog could shock the world, but nothing in the video of his bouts suggests that will happen.
He’s a big, strong guy, but Cormier has beaten plenty of men with that physical description. On Saturday, he’ll beat another one.
Second Opinion
E. Spencer Kyte of Fox Sports writes: “While Cormier was preparing for Rashad Evans, Cummins was working at a coffee house, where he was fired for taking Dana White’s call. It’s a fun story and a cute little career anecdote, but “DC” rolls in this hastily put together co-main event.”
Looks like we’re all in agreement here.
Rousey vs. McMann
Rousey’s Time to Lose Has Come
The Rowdy One’s win over Tate was the most impressive of her career. She faced a physical and emotional test and passed with flying colors.
She proved her mettle as a fighter at UFC 168.
This bout with McMann is a different situation. Rousey’s judo and grappling skill are talents that no other opponent could overcome.
Though she’s not the most physically powerful woman at 135 pounds, she has been so far ahead of every opponent from a technique standpoint that she’s been able to ride her bread and butter almost exclusively.
McMann is an Olympic medalist in wrestling and physically more powerful. She’ll be the first opponent that Rousey won’t be able to toss around like a rag doll. Once she locks up with her and sees that she doesn’t have the same advantage that she is used to, the real fight will begin.
Does Rousey have the stand-up skill to win a fight without her grappling?
My answer to that is no.
McMann may not be able to finish Rousey with a submission or even knock her out, but she will pound the champion and make her the one who is simply trying to survive.
Second Opinion
Sporting News’ Hugh Citron is part of the site’s Oddsmakers’ team. He calls McMann “a live dog”:
McMann is an Olympic silver medalist in wrestling. She could pose some real problems for Rousey if the champ can’t get her to the ground. If Sara can keep this fight standing and turn it into somewhat of a slugfest, she has a chance to pull off an upset at a real nice price. Rousey is -450 favorite, but McMann is getting +350 odds.
Injured MMA fighter Julianna Pena also thinks the major upset is coming. She thinks McMann’s wrestling will trump Rousey’s judo. Pena told Damon Martin of Fox Sports:
Wrestling beats Judo every single time. If there was a wrestler out there to do it, Sara McMann is the one to be able to put it into motion.
She’s a silver medalist in the Olympics and she’s as good a wrestler as you’re going to get, and she’s as worthy a competitor and ready for this competition as anybody. I think she stands a really good chance of winning this fight. If anybody stands a chance at winning, it’s Sara McMann because of her wrestling background.
We shall see. Pena and I will look like either fools or geniuses—or maybe just lucky.
Performance of the Night Predictions
Performance of the Night 1: McMann
If all goes as predicted and McMann wins this fight, there’s no way she doesn’t win one of the performance of the night bonuses. Think Chris Weidman over Anderson Silva, with just a little less drama.
Performance of the Night 2: Cormier
DC has easy money in front of him. His trimmed-down physique and the inexperience of his opponent give Cormier a huge advantage. Submissions aren’t usually his thing, but once he shows his dominance as a grappler, he’ll get opportunities to go for the finish on the ground.
Ronda Rousey, the queen of mixed martial arts, will once again grace the Octagon this Saturday night for UFC 170. This time, she’ll meet a fellow Olympic medalist and undefeated mixed martial artist in the form of wrestling powerhouse Sara McMann.
Whil…
Ronda Rousey, the queen of mixed martial arts, will once again grace the Octagon this Saturday night for UFC 170. This time, she’ll meet a fellow Olympic medalist and undefeated mixed martial artist in the form of wrestling powerhouse Sara McMann.
While McMann will look to solve the Rousey puzzle in the show’s main attraction, UFC 170’s co-main event is a peculiar one to say the least. Daniel Cormier, another Olympian (that makes a theme, and during the Winter Games no less), will welcome Patrick Cummins, a man who has all of four pro bouts to his name, to the fold.
Beyond the spectacle of the event’s headliners, UFC 170 will feature an additional nine fights, running the total to 11.
The UFC’s two most recent shows have been rather heavy on decisions. With a number of intriguing contests and the presence of several notable finishers, we’ll see whether or not UFC 170 will buck the trend.
In anticipation of Saturday night’s action, Bleacher Report has assembled its finest prediction crew, which proudly present you with our official staff picks.
We’ve got Craig “A-Plus” Amos, “Rowdy” Riley Kontek, James “The Man” MacDonald, Sean “Slam Dunk” Smith and Scott “H-Bomb” Harris at your service.
(Jessica Eye and her father Randy, after their reconciliation. / Photo via UFC.com)
When Jessica Eye steps into the cage against Alexis Davis at UFC 170 this weekend, the bantamweight contender will be doing so under the “probated suspension” that she caught after testing positive for marijuana metabolites following her split-decision win against Sarah Kaufman in October. Since then, Eye has done a dance of denial with the media — which hasn’t exactly made her any fans.
But to hear her tell it, Eye never smoked weed at all. In a letter she wrote to the Texas Board of License and Regulation back in November (obtained yesterday by MicxedMartialArts.com), Eye explained that she consumed trace amounts of marijuana from second-hand smoke at a family party that went from kinda-trashy to fully-traumatic, ending with her being roughed up by her own father. Here is Jessica’s tale of woe…
********
November 22, 2013
Dear Mrs. Winston,
I am writing you today in regards to my recent test results from UFC 166 in Houston. I first wanted to thank you in advance for your time and for allowing me the opportunity to explain my position. As one of the few professional female athletes currently competing in the UFC, I can’t express you how upset and more than disappointed I am in myself for even being in this situation. I have worked extremely hard at my craft over the last 6 plus years to put myself in a position of influence where I really feel I can make a difference in not only our sport but beyond. I consider myself a role model and understand that as a professional athlete who is competing at the highest level of his or her sport, that I also have an obligation to be a leader and positive role model. The reason I tell you this is so you can understand how crushing this has been for me. Beyond the opportunity to make a living doing something I love to do, to me its more important to have the opportunity to continue to be a role model and affective people in a positive way.
(Jessica Eye and her father Randy, after their reconciliation. / Photo via UFC.com)
When Jessica Eye steps into the cage against Alexis Davis at UFC 170 this weekend, the bantamweight contender will be doing so under the “probated suspension” that she caught after testing positive for marijuana metabolites following her split-decision win against Sarah Kaufman in October. Since then, Eye has done a dance of denial with the media — which hasn’t exactly made her any fans.
But to hear her tell it, Eye never smoked weed at all. In a letter she wrote to the Texas Board of License and Regulation back in November (obtained yesterday by MicxedMartialArts.com), Eye explained that she consumed trace amounts of marijuana from second-hand smoke at a family party that went from kinda-trashy to fully-traumatic, ending with her being roughed up by her own father. Here is Jessica’s tale of woe…
********
November 22, 2013
Dear Mrs. Winston,
I am writing you today in regards to my recent test results from UFC 166 in Houston. I first wanted to thank you in advance for your time and for allowing me the opportunity to explain my position. As one of the few professional female athletes currently competing in the UFC, I can’t express you how upset and more than disappointed I am in myself for even being in this situation. I have worked extremely hard at my craft over the last 6 plus years to put myself in a position of influence where I really feel I can make a difference in not only our sport but beyond. I consider myself a role model and understand that as a professional athlete who is competing at the highest level of his or her sport, that I also have an obligation to be a leader and positive role model. The reason I tell you this is so you can understand how crushing this has been for me. Beyond the opportunity to make a living doing something I love to do, to me its more important to have the opportunity to continue to be a role model and affective people in a positive way.
Mrs. Winston, I assure you that I am not nor have I ever been the type of person to put anything unhealthy in body, let alone and illegal narcotic. In addition, I am well aware of the other athletes who have thrown away their careers over substance abuse issues and I could never understand how someone in that position would risk jeopardizing their career over drugs or alcohol.
I am not the type of person who makes excuses and can admit Im wring when Ive made a mistake. In this case, the mistake I made was trusting my family and not trusting my instincts sooner. From the time I was a teenager, my father and I have not been on the best of terms due to his own substance abuse issues which I was forced to move out of his home when I was a 18. As a young girl I saw the damage and destruction drugs and alcohol can cause and how it can tear a family apart. Well my family was not immune and unfortunately it took a very ugly incident recently to finally allow me to move forward with my life without my father.
Approximately 4 weeks or so prior to my UFC debut in Houston, I had decided to give my father another chance to get back into my life. As you can understand, I was very emotional leading up to my fight and was eager for any support I could get from family, friends and especially my father. After numerous apologies and attempts to make amends with me, I finally decided to give my father another chance and attend a family get together in my honor which he hosted at his residence, The get together involved mostly family members form his side along with many of my friends and even a few of my sponsors who had all come together to watch the fight the evening. What transpired that night , will be with me for my entire life and is what I feel may have led to the traces of marijuana that were found to be in my system.
Upon arrival at my fathers house, I noticed immediately that they had been drinking. Against my better judgment, I decided to stay and avoid another confrontation with my father especially with anyone else in attendance. As the evening progressed, the alcohol would eventually turn into marijuana. As my father and several of his friends began to smoke in the living room where we were watching the UFC, I politely asked him to stop smoking or id be forced to leave. Not only did he refuse, but he became irate and began to physically attack me in front of all of our guests. Luckily my friends and brother were able to separate us and get m out of there relative unharmed, but this would surely be one of the darkest and most humiliating moments of my life. Needless to say, I did not call the police in order to avoid this getting out in public as I knew I need to be distraction free heading into the biggest fight of my career. Looking back, I truly wish I would have filed a report not my benefit, but to share my story with others in hopers of stopping this from happening to even one other person. I sincerely feel this is what led to my test results as I have been around any other smokers for years prior to or since that night.
Mrs. Winston, I am not claiming to be completely innocent and realize I am in this position because of my actions. But I will tell you with all sincerity that I would never, ever gamble with my career or take for granted the opportunities I have in front of me. I would even ask you to contact Ohio Athletic Commission Executive Director Bernie Profato who Im confident will validate what I am writing you as far as my family history and this particular incident. Since then, ive actually gone public with my story and did an in depth interview with a reporter who went ahead and published an article about my relations with my father. Id be happy to forward this article to you upon request.
In closing, id like to thank you again for your time and consideration with this matter. Please get back to me or my manager Greg and let us know what the next step in the process will be. I am eager to put this behind me and start the next positive chapter of my life and what I hope will be a long career with the UFC.
“I feel extremely guilty now and it really bothers me. Less than a month later (after the Kaufman fight), he’s diagnosed with a terminal illness and I don’t know when I’m fighting again and I don’t know what he’s doing. I don’t know if he’s going to make it again and it’s been depressing in that aspect. I’m mad at myself for maybe not noticing things sooner myself, that maybe the reason why he was acting the way he was was because of the tumor. They even said that the tumor was changing his behavior and it was. He’s always kind of a testy person, but it was making him very aggravated and distant, and I couldn’t understand it. He just wasn’t the same. So when I got the news about it, it brought down my world a little bit and made me feel real bad about the way things went down before my big debut. I’m very hopeful that I’m going to be back in the Octagon soon enough that my dad will get to actually see me.”
So to summarize: Maybe Jessica Eye isn’t a weed-puffing liar, and maybe her dad isn’t the biggest asshole in the universe. It would have been nice if any of Jessica’s friends or sponsors hustled her out of the house as soon as people started sparking up, but what are you gonna do.
