Yahoo Sports UFC 192 Results: Julianna Pena Decisions Jessica Eye, Sets Sights on Ronda Rousey
A women’s bantamweight scrap between sixth-ranked Jessica Eye and 12th-ranked Julianna Pena kicked off the UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson main card at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday.
Pena, the first female winner of The Ultimate Fighter, was looking to regain the momentum that she lost after suffering a devastating knee injury that kept her sidelined for 16 months following her TUF 18 Finale win.
Eye was hoping to bounce back from a loss to top contender Miesha Tate in her last outing in July, but it didn’t happen. Instead, she suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in her five-year fighting career.
Eye came out aggressive, but Pena closed the distance and initiated the clinch. Pena secured two takedowns in the opening round. Interestingly, Eye is known for her striking but was more than willing to engage Pena on the ground.
Eye closed the distance with punches in the early moments of the second frame and Pena pulled guard. Eye looked to have nearly finished the fight with an arm-triangle choke, but Pena escaped the submission attempt. As Eye rolled for another submission, Pena gained top control. What happened next resulted in a point deduction.
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Pena was in side control and Eye, while holding Pena’s head with her left hand, delivered an illegal knee from the bottom. The referee stepped in and deducted a point from Eye and restarted the women standing instead of restarting the action with Pena back in side control.
The final round was all Pena. She secured an early takedown and took Eye’s back. She locked on a rear-naked choke that had Eye’s face nearly turning purple. Eye rolled into the choke and escaped the submission attempt but was unable to get up from her back. The round ended with Pena looking to secure a one-arm guillotine.
After fifteen minutes of fighting, all three judges scored the fight for Pena by unanimous decision.
“Jessica Eye is a very respectable and skilled opponent, and I’m just happy that I got the win tonight.” Pena said following the biggest win of her career.
When asked about the point deduction and illegal knee in the second round, Pena refrained from criticizing the referee.
“It’s not my job to decide who gets a point and who doesn’t,” she said. “The referees are very competent around here, and they do as they see fit.”
After taking out her first top ten-ranked opponent, Pena set her sights on champion Ronda Rousey.
“I’m 6-0 in the Octagon, and so is Ronda Rousey. Dana White calls her the Mike Tyson of MMA. Well, I’m Evander Holyfield. I’m right here. I’ll be your huckleberry,” said the 26-year-old.
