UFC 245 results: Jessica Eye rebounds with unanimous decision over Viviane Araujo

Jessica Eye had a lot riding on her performance at UFC 245.

Following a devastating knockout suffered to flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko back in June as well as coming into her fight five pounds overweight, Eye had to know that a win against Viviane Araujo was paramount as she looked to maintain her position amongst the best 125-pound fighters in the world.

Showcasing a versatile striking attack over three rounds helped Eye get back in the win column as she earned a unanimous decision with all three scorecards reading 29-28 in her favor.

“It just feels good to be back here,” Eye said while celebrating her first win since Dec. 2018 over Katlyn Chookagian.

The battle between flyweight contenders was primarily fought on the feet with Eye looking for power shots while Araujo was using her hand speed in most of the exchanges.

While Araujo connected with good accuracy, Eye was able to fire back consistently with inside leg kicks as she constantly sought a home for an overhand right. Because Eye was putting so much behind that right hand, Araujo was able to take her to the ground a couple of times over the course of three rounds but she never did much of anything once the action hit the canvas.

It was a painfully close fight through every round but Eye seemed to be connecting with more regularity, especially when it came to damage done. As much as Araujo kept quick on her feet, she struggled to find a home for her best punches, which typically only came one or two at a time.

By the time the third round was coming to a close, Eye had really started to pour on the volume with better kicks to the body and legs as well as her punches to the head.

Missing weight obviously dampens the victory somewhat but Eye still got the job done with a strong showing against arguably one of the brightest prospects in the flyweight division in Araujo.