A rematch between two of MMA’s top 125-pound female fighters is in the works for Bellator Fighting Championships 66 on April 20th in Cleveland, Ohio. Hometown favourite Jessica “Evil” Eye will look to avenge her lone defeat when she faces Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly for a second time.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the planned bout with Cleveland.com on Wednesday. Eye and Daly first faced off for the NAAFS 125-pound women’s title this past June. Daly rallied back after a shaky start to submit Eye in round two. Eye has since rebounded with three straight victories.

Eye (6-1-0) built up a significant fan following in her home state of Ohio during her amateur career in NAAFS and her star has only continued to rise since she joined the pro ranks. The 25-year-old scored wins in each of her first three pro bouts and captured the vacant Ring of Combat 130-pound women’s title along the way. Her bid for a second championship ended in defeat, as Daly took advantage of a scramble in round two of their headlining bout in June and forced Eye to submit to a rear-naked choke. Undaunted, Eye made her Bellator debut in September and earned a competitive decision victory. She has since posted back-to-back wins in the NAAFS cage and continues to climb the 125-pound ranks.

Daly (13-2-0) entered the June NAAFS title showdown coming off of a quick and one-sided defeat to Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff in Cage Warriors. Despite her experience advantage, some saw Daly as an underdog to Eye, but she shocked the audience by handing the popular prospect her first defeat. Since then, Daly has also remained active. She scored a 20-second submission victory on mere days’ notice in September and successfully defended her NAAFS title against then-unbeaten challenger Kelly Warren in November. In addition to the bout with Eye on April 20th, Daly is also set to face Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton in the opening round of the Cage Warriors 125-pound women’s tournament in May.

For Eye, she now receives a shot at redemption. A victory over Daly won’t undo the past defeat, but it could propel Eye into the top five of the 125-pound division. Daly, meanwhile, looks to prove that her first win over Eye was no fluke and that she remains one of the best fighters in the division. According to Daly, the Bellator 66 rematch will be contested for her NAAFS title over five, five-minute rounds.

Bellator Fighting Championships 66 takes place on April 20th at the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The card also features a second rematch, as former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez faces DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki. The pair’s first fight in late 2008 ended quickly when Aoki forced Alvarez to submit to a heel hook.

Update: Daly was also scheduled to face Dutch prospect Titiana van Polanen Petel on March 24th in Ireland, but that bout has been scrapped due to an injury to van Polanen Petel’s shoulder.

(Photo Credit: NAAFS)