“I was literally throwing up all these foods that I would normally eat.”
While chasing down answers with the assistance of medical professionals sounds like an obvious course of action for some, Eye initially internalized all the issues, blaming herself and passing them off as the product of stress brought on by parting ways with her long-time team, moving to Las Vegas, and struggling with life in lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She figured once life settled down and she got into a better routine, her health issues would pass, but instead they lingered.
Now several months removed from surgery and into a new approach, the 34-year-old former title challenger is feeling significantly better.
“It’s nice to feel much more clear-headed,” said Eye, who cited “brain fog” as one of the most persistent issues she dealt with ahead of her last several fights. “I’m eating the right foods, I figured out what foods were causing me problems, and I no longer have a dead gall bladder.”
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She’s also continued to readjust the way she prepares for her fights as well, moving to a more boxing-inspired approach where everything is tailored around her.
“When I left Strong Style, I never wanted to get with another team,” said Eye, who trained with the Cleveland area crew that includes current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic for 13 years prior to parting ways ahead of her bout with Shevchenko. “I wanted to be ‘The Eye Team’ — I wanted to be a lone soul in that way to where any time I brought someone to a camp, they were specifically paid for a job that was directed to me.
“I don’t want to share my time anymore; I’m past that. I’m slightly selfish. I’m very monogamous in my relationships and my training relationships have to be that way as well.
“I’m finally on The Eye Team — I’ve been trying to get here and I’m finally here,” she said, adding that while she still makes occasional trips into Xtreme Couture, she’s primarily working with her own set of coaches, including Chris Ben-Tchavtchavadze, a boxing and strength and conditioning coach with Floyd Mayweather’s Money Team outfit.
Saturday’s contest against Calderwood continues a tradition for Eye, who has forged her reputation as a tough, gritty competitor by constantly facing top-tier opposition.
When the UFC didn’t offer a 125-pound weight class on the women’s side, she moved up to bantamweight, sharing the cage with former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman, former UFC champ Miesha Tate, and title contenders Alexis Davis, Sara McMann, and Bethe Correia.
