Maycee Barber unshaken by recent struggles ahead of UFC on ESPN 27: ‘Bring it on’

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Maycee Barber unshaken by recent struggles ahead of UFC on ESPN 27: ‘Bring it on’

LAS VEGAS – Sure, Maycee Barber would prefer to be undefeated at this point in her career, but the 23-year-old prospect isn’t shying away from her recent struggles.

“Bring it on,” Barber told MMA Junkie at a media day at the UFC Apex. “It’s been a roller coaster, but it’s been a huge learning lesson, and I’ve had a lot of fun with it. There’s going to be good times and bad times along life, and I’m ready for it all – and ready to learn and grow from it all.”

Barber has been a polarizing figure since her entrance to the UFC, receiving the star treatment from the promotion from the start of her tenure and openly voicing her expectations to become the youngest champion in the promotion’s history.

She suffered her first career loss in January 2020, dropping a decision to Roxanne Modafferi, but angered many by her insistence that a knee injury was largely to blame for the result. When she returned 13 months later, Barber dropped a decision to Alexa Grasso, putting her on a two-fight skid.

Many have seemed to relish in her setbacks, but Barber is unfazed and believes the results were necessary.

“Honestly, I feel like you should always be checking yourself daily, but for me, I feel like a lot of the setbacks that I’ve had – you know, the injury, the loss, the all of those things – definitely make you pay attention to a lot more, because when you’re winning, it’s almost like, ‘Oh, I’m good. Let’s go on to the next,’” Barber explained. “So when you lose, it’s like you have to check something, you know? You have to check and double-check, and it probably was something that you needed to check when you were winning, but you just didn’t pay attention enough, so I feel like that’s something I was forced to do, and I’m so glad that it happened, and I’m really excited to be back here.”

Barber (8-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) returns to action at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 27 event, where she takes on Miranda Maverick (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at the UFC Apex. The event airs in its entirety on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

At just 24, Maverick is a young prospect in her own right that has already boasted two impressive UFC wins. Barber sees the similarities between the two but thinks she’ll prove herself a cut above when they step in the cage.

“Obviously, she’s coming off a winning streak,” Barber said. “She fought a common opponent in Gillian Robertson – only difference is she went the distance, and I finished Gillian in the first round, so I’m excited to show that – you know, the dominance. Another thing is she’s now technically ranked ahead of me, but I believe she’s just holding my spot, and I’m ready to take it back on Saturday.

“Aside from that, you know, I feel like she’s a tough opponent. She’s young. You know, she’s also on a winning streak. I feel like she is where I was, and so I’m ahead of her in that sense, you know? Like, I’m ahead. I’ve already checked myself. I’ve double-checked myself, and I’m just gonna be the better fighter.”

While it’s hard to say that a 23-year-old fighter could be at a career crossroads, it does seem an important moment in Barber’s career. A three-fight losing streak would certainly prove damaging to a fighter with championship aspirations, but it would hardly signal the end of her career at such a young age.

But Barber says she doesn’t feel like there’s anything special to prove on Saturday night. Sure, things haven’t been perfect lately, but she believes it’s all just serving to help guide her to what she believes is her destiny.

“I’m 23 years old,” Barber said. “I just turned 23, so I feel like all the things I’ve learned, yeah, I’ve learned it a lot faster. I have one amateur fight, and then I turned pro, so my second fight was on national television. It was on a big stage, and from there, then I got on the Contender Series, and then I got in the UFC, and it’s like always been something new and something changing, and honestly, I feel like I would not go back.

“I wouldn’t take my injury away. I wouldn’t take my loss away. I wouldn’t take anything away because it’s all going to make me a better champion someday.”

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Maycee Barber unshaken by recent struggles ahead of UFC on ESPN 27: ‘Bring it on’