UFC women’s bantamweight Jessica Eye competes in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 16 July 25th against Miesha Tate. Eye (11-2-1) caught up with MMAOddsBreaker on Episode 114 of The Parting Shot Podcast and discussed a variety of topics. Fighting Miesha Tate at UFC on FOX 16 “I’m so glad its Miesha, I’m so glad [this fight is happening] right now in my career. To be given the opportunity to fight such a high level girl on such a high level card, it’s exciting. I’m definitely the kind of person who likes to rise to a tough occasion. This is the perfect situation for me. I think that me and Miesha are going into this fight more well-rounded. Really I think no matter where the fight goes for me, I’m going to be in a dominant position because I’m not scared. I don’t feel like I just use one skill more than the other. I think sometimes people assume I’m this fantastic [one dimensional] striker. But these girls run into this game with me and they force me to do something else.” Cross-training at other gyms “After my last fight in November, I was very fortunate to stay on deck that if any of the girls got injured on [UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano]. So I went right into camp right after [my last fight at UFC 180] , but unfortunately my head coach Marco Marinelli had major back surgery. So at that time, I had the opportunity to go train at Ray Longo’s because I’m really good friends with those guys up there. I worked with The Funkmaster [Aljamain Sterling] and Matt Serra. Also Randa Markos and Daron Cruickshank come down and get work in with us on a regular basis. If there are any gyms that I cross train with its pretty much Ray Longo and the New York guys up there we’re all cut just from the same cloth and [Randa and Daron from Michigan Top Team].” Training with Randa Markos “I’m glad that she decided to contact me, right actually before she went to the [Ultimate Fighter 20 tryouts]. I got a chance to really hang with her and get to know her. I see her being a champion. I think she proved a lot of herself in the house. I don’t think the loss she suffered against Jessica Penne is something she should really regret. It’s something that made her grow. She just had an amazing fight against Aisling Daly [at UFC 186 this past April]. She came up this Saturday and she kind of keeps me in check about the things I need to worry about. I train with men so [much] that sometimes you grapple with another female, you sometimes you forget females are a little bit smaller, they can fit through smaller crevasses when you’re holding them in spots. She keeps me honest and I keep her honest. I’m very glad we’re on the same team and managed by the same people. I see the both of us taking the UFC [titles].” Drinking Tim Hortons coffee “It’s so funny. [Randa] actually introduced me into it. I was on my way to Columbus back in April and I was like ‘Oh my god there’s a Tim Hortons’ it was right outside of Columbus. I got it and took a picture and sent it to her and I was like ‘girl this coffee is amazing’ we’re both coffee gurus.” 
Working with Canadian health guru Dr. Paul Biondich “Paul is remarkable. Everything that he brings to the table, he’s amazing. They introduced me to an amazing product called Isagenix, which I’m just so glad I took the product. Even other things like beet shots have helped. I’m so excited that he’s going to be in Chicago and I can just feed off his good energy. Make him proud because of the person that he’s help me become. I truly believe had it not been for him, I don’t know if I could be as good as I am. I was always very knowledgeable when it came to dieting. But it was not about changing a whole lot of things but adding to it. Not many people go up a weight class and actually get faster. That’s what’s happened with me. I’ve gone up at weight class that I originally started out with. I’m faster, better, stronger my weight cuts are just remarkable. The game is not cutting the weight, it’s fighting and performing. Paul has almost been my secret weapon and I’m so fortunate that way.” Rumours about initially fighting Ronda Rousey instead of Bethe Correia “There was [talk about it] I’m not going into full detail about it. There were talks, I was extremely disappointed when I didn’t [get the Rousey fight]. I was definitely in the lines for it, but I think that some other things happened with Anderson Silva having to pull out of that card. Not to be able to fight there due to [his issues] with the commission. They needed a good sell and what’s a good sell then Ronda Rousey’s best friends getting beat by a Brazilian. That was a good enough sell. She pulled a Conor McGregor, she’s barking up a tree. I don’t think she’s going to bark up this treet and make it to the top. I think she knew what she was doing in this aspect and she got it. Prediction for his July 25th fight against Miesha Tate “She’s going to want me to finish it because three five minute rounds. I’m going to do some serious damage and when I say damage I’m going to go for the finish. I’m either going to get the knockout, I’m going break her leg and I’m going to do whatever I can do whatever I have to do to win this fight in a devastating way. So that when people walk away about it, ‘wow she really is her own hype’. I’m not a garbage talker; Miesha is kind of pulling it out of me because I don’t like her attitude. I don’t like the way she acts towards me because she doesn’t respect me. It’s fighting, it’s not pretty, and it’s not nice. It’s not dance, it’s not going to look nice. At the end of the day it’s a job and I need to get paid.” How her Cleveland Browns will do this NFL season “I think that the team has got themselves out of the media and spent lot of the time of regroup. Cleveland in a whole is going throughout this remarkable change, I think everyone is relying on Browns to finally step it up. The Cavs stepped up, the Indians are stepping up. I think they’re going to do great. I’m always hopefully, I always want to see them doing good. I love all football in general, I love the aggressiveness and the hard hitting. I guess that’s the fighter in me.” You can follow Jessica on Twitter @jessicaevileye and you can listen to the full audio version of this interview on Episode 114 of The Parting Shot Podcast below (23 mins in)
