‘My body, my choice’: UFC fighter Jessica Eye, who charges $7,000 for naked photos, hits back after comparisons to fighter paydays

"Foxy and feisty" UFC fighter Jessica Eye has defended her decision to pursue a lucrative side-hustle offering racey content to her many online admirers, including topless videos, fully nude selfies and pictures donning lingerie.

Veteran flyweight Eye uses her striking looks as much as her more violent form of striking these days, following in the footsteps of many athletes and models by signing up to ubiquitous subscription site OnlyFans, where audiences can pay for a wealth of content advertized by the smouldering scrapper posing on a bed.

Almost inevitably, one follower linked the amounts the 34-year-old makes, ranging from $25 for a foot photo to $7,000 for a custom fully nude photo, to the ongoing row over fighter pay, suggesting that she can earn as much as competitors make for putting their lives on the line by sending a couple of shots to eager online buyers.

"I said what I said," the former Cosmopolitan cover girl told her critics about her self-promotion, in between sharing photos of her dog and looking ahead to her fight against Jennifer Maia on July 10.

"It's comical how upset people are. But hey, they asked for a price to see me naked and that's it. My body, my choice – whether anyone likes it or not."

The responses taking exception included a critic who called Eye "overpriced and over-hyped", adding: "Too bad you probably won't make a cent – but hey, good try."

Another asked: "How do you sleep at night knowing that guys are paying you hundreds of dollars for your foot and booty pics?"

Eye swatted off the cynicism with the kind of apparent confidence with which she has won 25 of her 15 professional fights. "I slept great, thanks for asking," she explained about her conscience, while responding to the claim that she had few takers: "My bank account says otherwise.

"Don't be a hater just because I'm not giving myself away for free. People ask for a price and that's my price."

There has been a particular trend among female MMA fighters to move into subscription content services in recent years, heightened by a reduction in paydays during the pandemic and the insecurity of relying upon a punishing sport of choice for income.

Claudia Gadelha and Hannah Goldy are known to have OnlyFans accounts, while Israel Adesanya joined the site in January, although his content is more focused on fighting than the adult material the site is synonymous with.

Paige VanZant, who spoke openly about how much easier it was to monetize her vast Instagram following than her fights before she left the UFC, has her own subscription site, and Eye said her own content would be "adult-only" when she launched her OnlyFans page in March.

Eye encouraged one of her male fans who said they had also launched an account. "Hell yeah," 'Evil Eye' told them. "Good for you. I love me some solid male butt cheeks."