Jessica Eye Withdraws From UFC 272 Matchup With Manon Fiorot Due to Injury

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A Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight fight with top-10 implications has fallen off about a week before it was set to go down.

According to Jessica Eye (15-10, 1 NC) on her Instagram on Friday night, she has been forced out of her UFC 272 pairing with Manon Fiorot (8-1) with an undisclosed injury. The two flyweights were going to throw down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in March 5. There is no current indication as to whether the promotion will find a replacement for Eye, preserve the matchup for a later date or give Fiorot a different fight in the near future.

“Hey Believe’rs [sic], I’m sorry to report that I’m out of my fight at UFC 272 due to an injury I sustained last night,” Eye wrote. “I’m extremely disappointed as it was an incredible camp with my original team back at home in Cleveland at Strong Style MMA. My apologies to my opponent and the UFC. I look forward to the opportunity to entertain and fight in front [of] you all again in a few weeks when I’m clear[ed] to return to full contact training.”

Eye was aiming to put an end to a three-fight skid which saw her drop decisions to Cynthia Calvillo, Joanne Wood and Jennifer Maia in succession. The Cleveland native has not won a fight since 2019, when she topped Viviane Araujo on the scorecards. “Evil Eye” shifted down to the flyweight division in 2018, and she rattled off a trio of victories to earn a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko – she did not succeed winning the belt. As a pro, 20 of her 26 career outings have ended in the hands of the judges, including 11 of her last 12.

France’s Fiorot has been a woman possessed since making her promotional debut in 2021. Her first trip to the Octagon came against Victoria Leonardo, and she knocked “Fury” out with a head kick and follow-up punches. Another knockout, this time against the then-unbeaten Tabatha Ricci, springboarded her into a matchup with Mayra Bueno Silva in October 2021. For just the second time in her career, “The Beast” won a fight on the scorecards, as she claimed three clear-cut rounds in her favor to earn a place among the UFC’s rankings at 125 pounds.

UFC 272 will carry on at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a non-title grudge match serving as the main event of the pay-per-view. Former friends and training partners Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal will throw down in the welterweight division across five rounds. The co-headliner comes in the form of a five-round lightweight battle when Rafael dos Anjos faces Rafael Fiziev with major divisional implications at stake. The loss of Eye on this card is not the only recent shakeup suffered on UFC 272, as Ludovit Klein replaced Erick Gonzalez against Devonte Smith in their lightweight preliminary matchup on Friday as well.