WOMEN OF ACTION

These five women are breaking new ground in typically male-dominated fields and inspiring a new, diverse generation to follow their passions.

- JASON SERAFINO

Jessica Eye
UFC FEMALE FLYWEIGHT FIGHTER

A string of losses nearly cost Jessica Eye her spot in the UFC, until a change in weight class and mindset revitalized her career and turned her into a force.

LOSING THREE fights in a row is the unofficial Mendoza Line of the UFC. Only a few special fighters have been allowed to stay with the organization after four consecutive losses, so when UFC president Dana White called Jessica Eye the Monday after her fourth loss back in 2016, she expected the worst.

"I was like, 'You guys are going to cut me, aren't you?' He said, 'No, but I want you to take some time off and get your mind right," Eye says. "My dad had died in July. I was dealing with a lot. I thought I could push through that. But I wasn't fully me on that fight day." The UFC is filled with athletes who fight well, but White has a soft spot for those rare specimens who have combat coursing through their veins, the type of fighters who live to hear the gate of the Octagon click shut behind them. It would turn out to be a prescient move by the UFC.

Eye took 2017 entirely off from fighting. She sorted through her father's estate, entered grappling tournaments to shore up her boxing-centric fighting style, and, most important, began to bring her weight down. In May of that same year, the UFC announced it would be adding a new 125-pound female flyweight division, which is right below Eye's previous home in the 135-pound bantamweight class. Losing those 10 pounds would be a game changer for Eye.

"During fight week I saw myself in the mirror, and I was like, 'Who is this girl?" she says. "I never had a six-pack like that in my life, and I'm in my 30s!"