LAS VEGAS – Maycee Barber’s goals remain the same, but the path is now a little different.
The UFC flyweight prospect is no longer looking to rush to the top of the division as she was earlier in her career. Barber (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is once again beginning to pick up momentum in the women’s flyweight division after a pair of setbacks gave her first career losses and derailed her dream of becoming the youngest campion in UFC history.
Barber defeated Montana De La Rosa by unanimous decision on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 205 at the UFC Apex. It’s her second consecutive win since her loss to Alexa Grasso in early 2021.
“The Future” is determined to reach UFC gold just as she’s always planned but now wants to make sure it’s done right.
“When I first got to the UFC I was 20 years old and I was like, ‘Let’s go for the youngest UFC champion,’” Barber told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 205 post-fight news conference. “Obviously, we are past that date. I’m 23; I’ll be 24 in May. So rather than pressuring myself and be like, ‘Let’s go as fast as we can to the best,’ I’m going to be the best. But how I get there, I’m going to enjoy the journey, and I’m going to make sure I don’t skip steps. I’m going to make sure I don’t pressure myself into taking a chance that I shouldn’t take.
“But at the same time, I’ve never turned down a fight. Every opponent that they’ve ever offered, I’ve said yes to, and that’s throughout my entire career. I’ve never said no. So every girl that I have fought and have beat or lost to, that’s part of my process, and it’s part of the journey, and I know there’s a reason. I do trust the UFC in that sense because they haven’t given me something I can’t handle. So we’re going to see what’s next.”
Barber was undefeated until she came up short in back-to-back decisions against Roxanne Modafferi in 2020 and then Grasso in 2021.
When asked about managing risk and when to take or not to take certain fights that could hamper her growth and career, Barber said she has confidence in the UFC matchmakers.
“What’s better for them is for me to continue to be successful,” Barber said. “They’re trying to build someone up, and I’m going to be someone that they’re building up. … I know I have a team behind me and people that are going to help me answer when that opponent comes. But at the same time, they haven’t given me something I can’t handle. And at the sane time, I know there is a plan on how to build someone – build a career, build a star, and that’s me.”
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/04/ufc-fight-night-205-maycee-barber-no-longer-rushing-title