Report: Andrade moving to 125 lbs as UFC targets Oct. 17 bout vs. Eye
The UFC continues to stack its October events.
The promotion is targeting a flyweight bout between former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade and Jessica Eye for Oct. 17, ESPN's Brett Okamoto reports.
Andrade has previously fought in both the 135- and 115-pound divisions, but her team reportedly feels 125 pounds could be her best weight class.
Additionally, a heavyweight clash between contenders Alexander Volkov and Walt Harris has been added to the main card of UFC 254, which is scheduled for Oct. 24, according to Okamoto.
Andrade is coming off a split decision loss to fellow ex-strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in a rematch at UFC 251 earlier in July. The Brazilian beat Namajunas in May 2019 to earn the 115-pound strap but lost to current champion Zhang Weili in her first title defense.
Meanwhile, Eye is 1-2 in her last three fights, including an unsuccessful title challenge against Valentina Shevchenko. Her most recent fight was a unanimous decision loss to Cynthia Calvillo in June.
Shevchenko has looked untouchable during her title reign, with few contenders seemingly capable of beating her. Andrade's addition could provide a much-needed shake-up to the top of the division's rankings.
Harris and Volkov are both looking to rebound from main-event losses. The former suffered a TKO defeat at the hands of Alistair Overeem in May, while the latter lost to Curtis Blaydes via unanimous decision in June.
UFC 254 will be headlined by a lightweight title unification bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje.