UFC finalizing undefeated Casey O’Neill
(@kingcaseymma)
vs. Jessica Eye (@jessicaevileye)
for UFC 276 on July 2, per sources. O’Neill looking to improve to
5-0 in the UFC. Eye looking to hang on to her No. 10 ranking. Who
you like in this one? pic.twitter.com/hQ3GNeyAVl— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN)
March 25, 2022
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight
Jessica
Eye will try to hold the line in the top 10 in July.
Per the UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN
on Friday, Eye (15-10, 1 NC) will be making her return to the cage
after just under a year off against Casey
O’Neill (9-0) at UFC 276.
The event will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July
2, as the conclusion of the promotion’s annual International Fight
Week celebration. The fight is expected to be official soon, with
O’Neill remarking on the upcoming matchup on her
Instagram stories on Thursday.
“Evil” Eye expected to be back in action far sooner than July 2022,
with her last fight taking place at UFC 264 in July 2021. An
illness knocked her out of her UFC Fight Night 197 clash with
Andrea
Lee in November, and she was linked to a pairing with Manon
Fiorot only to have to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury.
Cleveland’s Eye has not gotten her hand raised since 2019, with
three consecutive unanimous decision losses to Cynthia
Calvillo, Joanne Wood
and Jennifer
Maia putting her on the skid she brings into this bout. A
victory for Eye would prevent her from becoming the first female
fighter in UFC history to hold a pair of four-fight losing
streaks.
Australia’s O’Neill has yet to taste defeat as a pro after nine
outings, including four inside the Octagon with three finishes
under her belt. In February, “King Casey” took on former title
challenger Roxanne
Modafferi, winning a close split decision to improve her win
streak, and placing her among the top 15 women in her weight class
with the UFC. All but one of her career appearances has made it
into the second round.
UFC 276 will go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in July 2,
and there is currently no headliner announced for the fight card.
The only other matchup currently booked for the summer pay-per-view
offering also comes in the flyweight division, when former
bantamweight queen Miesha Tate
drops down to 125 pounds against ex-title challenger Lauren
Murphy.