Jessica Eye held on for dear life after early trouble and used her grappling to snap a long losing streak.

Eye (12-6 MMA, 2-5 UFC) was nearly knocked out by a head kick in her first round against Kalindra Faria (18-7-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC), but reasserted control on the mat and picked up a split decision.

The women’s flyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 124 event at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of the rest of the card on FS1.

The final scores were 29-28 twice for Eye with one judge dissenting for Faria with the same score. Eye screamed in triumph and hopped the cage before calming down for her post-fight interview.

If Eye was excited, she had good reason to be. Not since 2014 had she won a fight in the UFC’s octagon. Four straight losses – all at bantamweight, 10 pounds above her longtime flyweight class – and canceled bouts against Aspen Ladd and Paige VanZant sapped her momentum.

Going into the fight, Eye likely needed a win to stay in the UFC. And her chance almost evaporated in the early portion of the fight.

A head kick from Faria landed flush to Eye’s head, sending her backward on wobbly legs. Somehow, though, Eye managed to grab a body lock and get a takedown. She quickly went to work on the mat, repeatedly cranking on Faria’s ankle. Faria responded in kind, turning the rest of the opening frame into a scrap in the 50-50 position.

Eye put the fight down early in the second round and extended her lead by taking back control and threatening a choke. Unable to escape, Faria ceded the round while on the defensive.

Both Eye and Faria came out amped for the third round. And while the Brazilian Faria appeared to get the better of Eye on the feet, snapping a side kick to the face and several hard punches, Eye earned two takedowns and controlled the action on top.

The judges who scored the fight for Eye clearly valued her ground work. However they came to the decision, “Evil” Eye will take it.

Faria, a former Titan FC champ, remains winless in the UFC after two tries.

“I feel on top of the world,” Eye said. “It’s been five years since I’ve been able to fight at 125, so to be back at my weight class and get the win, nothing can compare. I was a little shaky walking out. I had a lot of nerves built up for this moment. It all felt very natural though. I won that fight with grit, takedowns and striking, and that’s what being a fighter is all about. It feels unbelievable. I’m not going to say what’s next just yet, but you will see very soon.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 124 results include:

• Jessica Eye def. Kalindra Faria via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• J.J. Aldrich def. Danielle Taylor via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Mads Burnell def. Mike Santiago via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 124, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in St. Louis.)