Jessica Eye is scheduled to officially end her retirement from combat sports and step into the bare-knuckle boxing ring. She is set to face fellow former UFC fighter Mariya Agapova on the upcoming BKFC 76 card. The event is slated for June 21 and will take place in Fort Worth, Texas.
BKFC representatives verified this matchup with MMA Fighting on Wednesday.
Eye, a veteran of 27 professional MMA bouts, initially retired in 2022 following her fourth consecutive loss within the UFC. The former contender for a UFC title remained out of competition until April of this year, when she revealed her intentions to return after signing a contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
At her peak, Eye was recognized as a leading female competitor, holding rankings in both the bantamweight and flyweight divisions during her MMA career. Her most significant fight occurred in 2019 when she competed for the UFC flyweight championship, ultimately losing via head-kick knockout to Valentina Shevchenko.
Mariya Agapova, 28 years old, made a notable entrance into the UFC in 2020 with an impressive performance, but her early success was brief, as she suffered a defeat to Sabina Mazo in her subsequent fight. Following that loss, Agapova`s record in her final four UFC appearances was 1-3 before she was released from the promotion in July 2024.
Now, Agapova is transitioning to bare-knuckle boxing and is booked for a showdown against Eye. This bout is part of the inaugural BKFC event hosted in the state of Texas.
The BKFC 76 card is highlighted by a title fight rematch featuring Franco Tenaglia and Tony Soto. Their previous encounter was a wild battle in bare-knuckle history, so memorable that Conor McGregor personally awarded both fighters double their fight purses as a bonus.
