Rising star Jessica “Evil” Eye won for the third straight time tonight in a featured 125-pound women’s bout at North American Allied Fight Series: “Caged Vengeance 10” in Cleveland, Ohio. Eye outstruck one-time NAAFS title challenger Kelly Warren en route to a Unanimous Decision victory.
Tonight’s win could set up a rematch between Eye and current NAAFS women’s champion Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly later this year, but both fighters will have other matters to attend to first. Daly has two upcoming fights booked, while Eye appears poised for a return to Bellator in April.
Tonight’s bout between Eye (6-1-0) and Warren (3-2-0) was contested primarily on the feet where Eye used her superior footwork to stay ahead of Warren in many of the exchanges. Warren had success with leg kicks early in the first round, but Eye began to establish her jab and put together quick combinations despite Warren’s aggression.
Eye remained effective with her jab in the second round and she began to mix in kicks to keep Warren guessing. Warren was game, however, and landed a quick flurry of her own. Both women continued to score with leg kicks, but Eye chained hers into punching combinations as the round progressed.
More jabs and leg kicks scored for Eye in the final round, but Warren caught a kick and tripped the popular Ohio fighter to the mat. Eye was very active from the bottom and worked for an armbar and a triangle choke. When the fighters were stood up, Warren picked up the tempo and narrowly missed with a head kick. Eye took her back down and opened a cut on her forehead with elbows before the bell.
While the bout was competitive throughout, Eye did enough to take each of the three rounds and she was rewarded with a unanimous verdict from the three cageside judges.
Of Daly, Eye spoke of her June 2011 loss to the Irish standout following her win this evening. “I’ve got to be upfront and honest here. Aisling Daly beat me fair and square,” Eye said. “I’ll never take anything away from that because she beat me, but…that’s the past and I’ve got a bright future.”
Eye’s next fight appears to already be in the works, as Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney informed her tonight that she has a spot on the promotion’s April 20th card.
Winner: Jessica Eye by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 6-1-0.
(Photo Credit: NAAFS)