LAS VEGAS – Maycee Barber set a lofty goal of becoming the youngest champion in UFC history, but that ambitious achievement isn’t looking likely.
After winning her first eight career bouts, Barber (8-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered an upset loss in January 2020 to veteran Roxanne Modafferi and injured her knee in the process, which kept her out of the octagon for an entire year.
Saturday night, Barber returned and came up short in the co-main event of UFC 258. Barber’s strong third round wasn’t enough as she lost to Alexa Grasso on across-the-board scores of 29-28 at the UFC Apex.
Barber turns 23 in May, and Jon Jones was 23 when he became what remains the youngest to win a UFC title after he defeated “Shogun” Rua to win the light heavyweight belt in 2011.
While the ambition is admirable, it certainly doesn’t seem likely that Barber will swiftly transition from losing two fights to knocking off dominant flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. But that doesn’t mean UFC president Dana White has given up on her.
“She’s a savage,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC 258 post-fight news conference. “She’s a savage. She’s one of the most ambitious and toughest young women that I’ve ever met. So I expect nothing but big things from her. She’s a baby still. She’s young. She’s got nothing but time.”
It’s likely that, if Barber didn’t set such a lofty public goal, she’d be viewed differently after a pair of setbacks. White, for his part, admires the gumption it takes to aim for the top and believes Barber can get right back at it.
“I know she put this unbelievable pressure on herself to be a champion before Jon Jones, and it’s good to set goals for yourself,” White said. “But she’s a baby, she’s got nothing but time, and she’s only going to get better.”
Dana White still has faith in Maycee Barber after UFC 258: ‘She’s got nothing but time’
