Jessica Eye: Joanna Title Shot “Terrible” for Flyweight Division

Jessica Eye would love a shot at the UFC women’s flyweight championship. In fact, she had requested a title shot prior to UFC 231, but the promotion decided to go in another direction. Heading into her bout tonight against Katlyn Chookagian, Jessica Eye has made peace with where she stands in the flyweight title picture….for now (Transcript via MMAjunkie):

“I mean, what am I supposed to do, hope for it and it not happen and then be disappointed?” Eye told reporter at UFC media day. “I went, after my last fight, and renegotiated my own contract – managerless. I asked (UFC President) Dana (White) right away – I had a great meeting with him, and the first thing I said was I want the next title shot. And he goes, ‘I can’t do that, Jess.’ And I’m like, ‘Why? You do it all the time. Why not?’ I knew then that I wasn’t going to get it. It’s worth asking for.

“Everyone says you’re only as good as your last fight. I’ve won my last two fights – why am I still being held to the same standards when I lost at bantamweight. I took all of those girls to decisions. … If I don’t get the title shot the next time, then we just keep chipping away and we beat all the girls they put in front of us and then what can you say?”

Jessica Eye went on to state that one of the fighters in the UFC 231 co-main event has no business being in the flyweight title fight:

“I think it’s terrible for our weight class,” Eye said of Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s title opportunity. “It messes up the division. If you want these divisions to have true stances and ‘This is the world title,’ you can’t be mixing people up. … I don’t think it was fair, but who am I? I’m just another flyweight in the division.”