Move over MMA and boxing, there is a new sport in town. Bare-knuckle boxing, although a pretty young sport, has caught the imagination of fight fans. What’s not to love? Its boxing but without the gloves, which leads to bloody strike-fests, which always goes down well with fight fans.

And the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, started in 2018, has carved out a niche for itself in the seven years that it has existed. It also helps that they have Conor McGregor, one of the biggest names in combat sports, as a minority shareholder who helps promotes its events. But the one issue BKFC has faced is that it just doesn’t have a lot of stars.

In fact, except for former UFC star, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry, there aren’t any real recognizable stars in the promotion. Well, that may change pretty soon as the David Feldman-led organization has apparently signed a former UFC title contender.

“Former UFC title challenger Jessica Eye is expected to make bare-knuckle debut on the upcoming BKFC 76 card on June 21 in Texas, per BKFC officials. Opponent still to be determined,” MMA journalist, Damon Martin, broke in an X post.

Indeed, if Eye joins the fledgling bare-knuckle promotion is likely to work out for everyone. ‘Evil’ Eye was known for her striking prowess and exciting, constant forward-pressure fighting style. Moreover, being a former UFC title contender carries some weight by itself, and if things go right, Eye could be the face of female BKFC. Potentially a female Mike Perry, if you will.

According to Martin, the American is expected to make her BKFC debut on the promotion’s upcoming card in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 21. The card will feature another former UFC luminary in the co-main event– former heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski, who retired from the Octagon last year. And while Eye may not be as well-known as Arlovski or Perry, she does have all the attributes required to be a star.

Jessica Eye brings a lifetime of experience to the BKFC part-owned by Conor McGregor

Eye, of course, is one of the pioneers of the sport. She started her pro MMA career in 2010 before the UFC even had a women’s division. In fact, she joined the Dana White-led promotion in 2013, the same year the UFC had its first women’s contest featuring Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche at UFC 157.

Although she had fought at flyweight before joining the UFC, she started fighting at bantamweight in the promotion since it did not have a women’s flyweight division at the time. She didn’t find much success there, but things turned around after she moved to the UFC’s newly-created women’s flyweight division in 2018. The Ohio native went on a three fight win streak, earning her a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 238 in 2019.

However, the Ohio native lost the fight courtesy of a fantastic head kick by ‘Bullet’ in the second round. ‘Evil’ Eye never fought for the title again. Unfortunately, the American went 1-4 in her next five fights and retired from MMA in 2023. But now, at the age of 38, it seems her competitive juices are flowing again, as the former UFC title contender prepares to enter the gritty and bloody world of bare-knuckle boxing next month. What do you think about Jessica Eye being signed to the BKFC?