Rose Namajunas won’t lose sleep if she never ends up facing Maycee Barber after their fizzled UFC on ESPN 59 headliner.
[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] won’t lose sleep if she never ends up facing [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] after their fizzled UFC on ESPN 59“>UFC on ESPN 59 headliner.
Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was originally scheduled to fight fellow women’s flyweight contender Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at Ball Arena in Denver (ESPN, ESPN+), but lingering health issues forced her to withdraw less than three weeks out.
Barber was replaced by Tracy Cortez (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in the five-round bout, and although it’s an adjustment in styles, it’s nothing Namajunas said she can’t handle.
“It’s not night and day – basically my approach is the same as far as what I’m going to do,” Namajunas told MMA Junkie Radio. “There was a slight adjustment period and a psychological switch.”
With her focus now solely on Cortez, 30, it’s not much of a concern to Namajunas, 32, whether she ends up sharing the octagon with Barber down the line.
The primary goal for Namajunas, a former two-time UFC strawweight champion, is to add a second divisional title to her resume. If Barber is part of that path then so be it, but “Thug Rose” won’t be chasing the matchup.
“I have no idea (if we’ll ever fight),” Namajunas said. “As soon as she pulled out of the fight it was like, ‘All right, I guess I’ve got to stop thinking about her.’ I don’t know. If it does, it does. If it doesn’t – I don’t really care.”
[lawrence-related id=2754507,2754648]
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
Maycee Barber put her health first when deciding to pull the plug on her planned UFC on ESPN 59 main event vs. Rose Namajunas.
[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] put her health first when deciding to pull the plug on her planned UFC on ESPN 59 main event vs. Rose Namajunas.
Part of the reason Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) moved up to the women’s flyweight division, where she has won six in a row, from strawweight, is because the weight cutting was doing damage to her body. She has been open about that in the past, but it appears there is still some lingering issues.
Barber was scheduled to fight Namajunas in her first octagon headliner on July 13 at Ball Arena in Denver, but less than three weeks from the card had to pull out and was replaced by Tracy Cortez.
It was a difficult decision, Barber said, but also the right one. According to the 26-year-old, her training camp was nothing short of a disaster, and all the health problems made it impossible to prepare effectively for a former UFC champion such as Namajunas.
Check out Barber’s detailed statement below (via Instagram):
This is the last post I wanted to be making heading into July. Wish I was putting up a post about being 2 weeks out from my first main event. God must have other plans in store for the future 🤍 Unfortunately,As a lot of you may know, I was hospitalized for many days following my last fight. I spent 9 days in the hospital less than 2 months ago. Doctors at the time couldn’t find exactly what was going on, and I ended up also I developing pneumonia during that time.
I was put on numerous rounds of oral and IV antibiotics, which absolutely wrecked my system. When I accepted this fight I was told that I would be okay by the time July came around and so after a few weeks eased back to training and into a camp, as I got deeper into camp I just couldn’t find any intensity needed to get ready for a 5-round fight let alone the first 5 minutes of a practice. I wanted so badly to be able to go out there and perform in front of my home, family and friends. Especially against such a high level opponent in Rose.
Although I tried to keep pushing through, my team recognized that I’m not just not physically even close to where I need to be to safely enter a fight let alone into a single training session without putting myself at risk for lifelong damage. I needed to find answers as to why my body is seemingly turning against me. I sought out a team of medical professionals who, alongside the UFC, have run extensive tests on my blood and urine and sinus microbiome and my gut and my hormones and there are many things physically not working properly in my body; and they are being exacerbated by an Epstein-barr virus infection that we found. This is causing body aches, headaches, as well as extreme fatigue and an inability to recover between training sessions. I keep trying to push through the fatigue, but every time I would I do so, I would get symptoms that were consistent with these lab findings.
The more we are digging into my physiology and immune system, the more apparent it becomes that not only did the numerous rounds of antibiotics I was given after my hospitalization wreck my immune system, but the constant training compounded to get me into a position of essentially feeling always sick and always completely wiped out. After I was informed of the severe risks of my spleen rupturing among other life altering risks I was devastated.
We made the decision with my team of coaches, Drs and the UFC that my physical health must be attended to now so that I can make a run in the future. 🤍✨
Barber did not reveal a timeline for when she could return to competition as she sorts through recovery and finding a path forward. What she does know, however, is that proceeding with the fight against Namajunas, no matter how significant the opportunity, would’ve been detrimental to her in multiple ways.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
The promotion is targeting to Tracy Cortez replace Maycee Barber to face Rose Namajunas in the main event of UFC Denver on July 13.
[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] has a new opponent lined up for her return to the octagon.
The former UFC strawweight champion is now targeted to take on [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag], as a replacement for her original opponent [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] – who withdrew from the matchup due to undisclosed reasons. The fight still remains the headliner of the UFC Fight Night event scheduled for July 13 in Denver.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the change but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Mania and MMA Fighting first reported the news Tuesday.
Cortez (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) remains undefeated since joining the UFC in 2019. She last fought in September, where she defeated Jasmine Jasudavicius in a unanimous decision. This will be the first UFC event Cortez headlines.
There will be some personal history at play when Rose Namajunas enters the cage with Maycee Barber for the UFC Denver main event
There will be some personal history at play when [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] enters the cage with [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] for the UFC on ESPN 59 main event.
Namajunas (12-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will take on Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in a five-round women’s flyweight bout on July 13 at Ball Arena in Denver (ESPN, ESPN+). It’s a matchup that will have significant stakes on the title picture going forward, and there’s a backstory between the two sides during their time training within similar circles in Colorado.
“I don’t know exactly how old she was when we met – she was probably around 18 or something like that, maybe 17,” Namajunas told MMA Junkie. “I know we did some jiu-jitsu one time. I think we grappled a bit. I remember it was a situational thing – as far as I remember. This was a really long time ago. There was a few times where we were supposed to spar and she was at the gym, but something had come up during that. I was ready to go, but something with her was going on. … We didn’t train extensively together a bunch. She was always just kind of in the area.”
Although Namajunas’ memory of her specific training sessions with Barber are admittedly fuzzy, there are other moments of their past that are much more clear.
There was a time when Namajunas and Barber both fought at strawweight. Namajunas was at the top of the heap as a two-time divisional champion, while Barber was extremely early in the game as one of the youngest fighter on the UFC roster. Weight issues forced Barber up to 125 pounds where she’s put together a six-fight winning streak, and eventually Namajunas made the move up as well to put a new coat of paint on her career.
Barber, No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, has seemingly always had an eye on a matchup with No. 13-ranked Namajunas, but it never quite made sense until now.
“What I do remember very vividly is her fighting a couple of my training partners and her beating those training partners and really just trying to throw that in my face as if she’s beating me or something, and then she would call me out or something and saying she’s knocking off my training partners and I’m next,” Namajunas said. “That’s what I remember specifically. Ever since she got to the UFC, she didn’t really say those things as much. She was (talking) more pre-UFC. Then when she moved up to flyweight, we were obviously in different different divisions. It’s just funny because before, it was she was coming for me. But now I’m coming for her because I’m moving up and I’m coming for her ranking. The tables have turned.”
Barber has never been short on confidence when it comes to her fighting ability and speaking out on her career goals. Namajunas takes zero umbrage with that approach, but that’s not the case when it comes from other people around her next opponent.
Namajunas said the only negative feelings going into UFC on ESPN 59 are not toward Barber herself, but rather her father and coach, Bucky Barber.
“I honestly like that she is confident in herself,” Namajunas said. “As long as it’s in a confident, true, genuine manner, I love when fighters are confident. I like when they believe in themselves. As long as she ain’t being disrespectful I’m cool with it. I don’t know about like, her dad was kind of disrespectful I kind of felt like back in the day. But that was him. Whatever. But her, I think she should keep doing what she’s doing and I respect everything that she’s done. She’s really developed into an impressive prospect that I’m looking forward to facing.”
Namajunas said the “disrespectful” moment with Bucky came after one of her fights, where the coach inserted himself into a place Namajunas felt he didn’t belong.
[lawrence-related id=2726372,396620]
“He was just yelling in my face saying that, ‘We’re coming for you,'” Namajunas recalled. “It’s like, ‘Hey, chill out man.’ I don’t have a dad in my life so I’m going to have to get some other people. Because if we’re going to gang up on me then I’ve got to get a gang up, too.
“(It was) after a fight. I’m sure emotions were high but I personally was like, ‘That was uncalled for on his part.’ To me it’s like, if my corner starts attacking my opponent, then the opponent’s corner has the right. We’re all fighting now. To me that’s the etiquette. It should be just between the fighter and the fighter. I know that if you’re a parent you might have a little more emotion involved, but you’ve got to control yourself. That’s not cool.”
Despite some sour feelings about the past, Namajunas doesn’t intend to let anything affect how she performs on fight night. The former UFC champ is focused on the task at hand, and knows Barber is not going to be an easy matchup.
Namajunas, 31, said she’ll need to use all her weapons to end the streak of Barber, 26, but has no doubt she’s capable.
“She kind of relies on her intimidation factor and things like that,” Namajunas said. “I’ve stood in front of the most intimidating people, so I’m fully equipped and prepared for her – not just experience, but also I’m training my butt off and I’m trying to just be ready for anything. I know she wants to try to make it messy at times, but she does seem like she’s being a little more technical over the years and cleaning up her striking a little bit. But it’s my job to keep it my style and keep it my game and make sure I do my thing.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
Manon Fiorot, Maycee Barber, Rose Namajunas, Erin Blanchfield? The options in the UFC women’s flyweight division are plenty.
When UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] complete a trilogy later this year, it should be the last time they meet. After that? Both fighters expect to welcome new challengers.
That, of course, will depend on the result of their Sept. 14 showdown at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which could headline UFC 306. The fight will take place on the heels of Grasso and Shevchenko coaching this season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which filmed earlier this year and premiered this past Tuesday on ESPN and ESPN+.
In two previous encounters, Grasso (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) scored an all-time upset when she claimed the title from Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) with a fourth-round submission in March 2023 at UFC 285. Six months later, the two fought to a hotly debated split draw in their rematch at Noche UFC. Short of a clear winner in the trilogy, this should be it for Grasso and Shevchenko, who both look forward to new blood in the form of top contender [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] or the winner of next month’s [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] main event at UFC Fight Night in Denver. Erin Blanchfield could also be in the mix despite losing to Fiorot in March, depending on timing and circumstances.
Fiorot, who is riding a 12-fight winning streak after back-to-back wins over Namajunas and Blanchfield, figures to be in pole position among those names.
“Right now, at this moment after (our) fight, Manon and Erin. I think Manon is on this list,” Shevchenko told MMA Junkie. “But anything can happen for this time. Still we have more time, like three months, a little bit more after we rest a little bit. Anything can happen, but at this moment, I would say fight Manon, and Erin brought Manon in this position.”
Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is certainly a matchup that Grasso would relish given the pairing of styles.
“If I have to fight her, that will be awesome,” Grasso told MMA Junkie. “She’s big, she’s strong, she has a lot of good striking. So, for me, it could be a perfect fight.”
Not to be forgotten, though, is Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). The 26-year-old, who once promised to be the youngest UFC champion of all time, has come into her own, currently on a six-fight winning streak against increased competition. Should she get past Namajunas with an impressive performance, it could lead to a rematch with Grasso, who beat her by unanimous decision in February 2021.
That’s a result Barber hasn’t gotten over, and she’s let it be known – which is no big deal to the champ.
“That’s OK. We all have to make noise to be there,” Grasso said. “But yeah, if there’s a moment she’s the contender and I’m the champion, we’re gonna fight again.”
A potential UFC women’s flyweight title eliminator is set as Maycee Barber battles Rose Namajunas in a five-round fight.
A potential UFC women’s flyweight title eliminator is set for five rounds this summer.
At a UFC Fight Night event July 13 in Denver, top contenders [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] and [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] will collide at Ball Arena, promotion CEO Dana White announced Tuesday. Ariel Helwani was first to reported the news on X.
Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is on the most successful stretch of her UFC career as she enters the bout on a six-fight winning streak. Her two most recent wins have come over perennial contenders Amanda Ribas (by TKO) and Katlyn Cerminara (by unanimous decision).
While unofficially a title eliminator, the winner of the bout could get a crack at the winner of champion Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko, a bout expected to take place in the fall following the conclusion of the airing of “The Ultimate Fighter 32.”
On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses Conor McGregor becoming part owner of BKFC, Alex Perez’s KO win, the upcoming UFC 301, more.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Farah Hannoun and Nolan King will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
UFC on ESPN 55 is in the books. The UFC Apex event saw [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] make a huge statement at 125 pounds, knocking out [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag] in the main event. This card also saw [autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag] pick up a big TKO win over veteran [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag], among many other results. We discuss the headliner bout, as well as other standout performances from the card.
UFC wasn’t the only show around this past Saturday. BKFC hosted the fourth edition of its tent pole KnuckleMania events. [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag], arguably the face of the promotion and the “King of Violence,” defeated former BKFC champ and former UFC title challenger [autotag]Thiago Alves[/autotag] in the main event of the card. It was also announced that [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is now part-owner of BKFC.
This past week was busy in terms of callouts (and requests): [autotag]Chris Weiman[/autotag] interested in taking a step up against [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]; [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] doubled down on his plan to box [autotag]Ryan Garcia[/autotag]; [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] interested in an interim title fight against [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]; [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] teased a move down to 185 pounds; [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] says he’s all in to run a trilogy bout against [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] in Karate Combat.
Looking ahead, the UFC 301 goes down this Saturday in Brazil. Although not the most stacked pay-per-view, at least on paper, this card features a UFC flyweight title fight between [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] and [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag], and the return of former UFC and WEC champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag], who fights [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag].
Manon Fiorot has cemented herself as No. 1 contender, but she might have to wait a while for her UFC title opportunity.
[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] has cemented herself as No. 1 contender in the UFC women’s flyweight division, but she might have to wait a while for her title opportunity.
Like Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), streaking contender [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] also offered her services as a backup fighter for Grasso vs. Shevchenko. Barber took shots at both Fiorot and Blanchfield by calling them boring, and Fiorot thinks that’s rich coming from her.
“I don’t think I’ve ever watched a full fight of Maycee’s,” Fiorot told MMA Junkie in French. “I know she fought Katlyn Cerminara, and I know she won by decision, too. I might have watched the first round, but it honestly wasn’t spectacular. She didn’t do better than me.
“I fought with an injured knee. I tore my ACL in the first round against Katlyn, and I didn’t find her fight sensational. She won by decision, too. She has a lot of decisions. I know she wrestles a lot, she sticks (to her opponents) a lot, so I don’t think her style is spectacular either.”
Fiorot, who’s coming off back-to-back wins over Blanchfield and Rose Namajunas, thinks her resume is a lot stronger than Barber’s (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). She’s willing to fight her next as long as a piece of the flyweight title is on the line.
“For the time being, she hasn’t proven anything in comparison to what I’ve done so far,” Fiorot continued. “I have no problems fighting her, but for an interim title.”
Maycee Barber dismisses the notion that she turned down a fight with Erin Blanchfield.
[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] dismisses the notion that she turned down a fight with [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag].
Blanchfield (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) faces Manon Fiorot (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 (ESPN/ESPN+) headliner at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
Blanchfield told MMA Fighting that “pathetic” Barber previously turned down a fight with her. Blanchfield’s comments came after Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) called her and Fiorot boring.
“Erin fought my leftovers,” Barber told Sportskeeda. “Erin fought JJ Aldrich after I beat her. Erin fought Miranda Maverick after I beat her. Erin’s fighting the leftovers, and she’s fighting girls after I already changed them.
“JJ Aldrich, after I beat her, was never the same fighter that she was ever again. She was always shy of getting hit after I hit her. Erin doesn’t have the power that I have, and so for her to say that, I think it’s just completely ignorant and uneducated. I think she’s just trying to create the storyline and the drama.”
Barber clarified that after Montana De La Rosa withdrew from their UFC 269 matchup, she accepted Blanchfield as a replacement, but the bout was scrapped after Barber ended up injuring herself.
Barber, who’s on a six-fight winning streak, is not interested in facing the winner of Blanchfield and Fiorot. She’d rather wait for the winner of the flyweight title-fight trilogy between champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, which will happen after they’re done coaching Season 32 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
“I think they’re boring, and I don’t think they have the draw, and I don’t think anyone cares to see that,” Barber said on Blanchfield and Fiorot. “I know that I’m a better contender for the title, and that’s why I keep pushing for my rematch (vs. Grasso).”
Right after her most recent win earlier this month, Maycee Barber knew what she wanted next. It wasn’t a hospital stay.
Right after her most recent win earlier this month, [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] knew whom she wanted next.
She didn’t know at the time her next opponent would be her own health. Barber on Monday posted on Instagram detailing what she said was a harrowing nine days in the hospital, where she eventually developed pneumonia.
“Well, the past few weeks were quite the ride and included lots of highs and lots of lows,” Barber posted on Instagram. “Following my fight, I spent 9 days in the hospital being tested and treated for an infection that they thought were a mix of different things from Strep A to Staph. Being in the hospital and still not having a true definitive answer while battling a 105 degree fever for days, having extremely low blood pressure, HR, and oxygen, was incredibly hard. Despite having multiple IV antibiotics and medications over the course of several days, they were unable to get my fever to drop, which eventually led to me developing Pneumonia. It definitely wasn’t what I had planned and was honestly very scary at times. There were a few moments where I wasn’t sure if I was going to be okay, but I know that whatever happens was meant to happen and that it’s all just another piece of the puzzle of life. 🧩 Grateful for everyone who has been by my side through it all. Little scares like this make you really step back and appreciate those around you! God is good and I am blessed! 🤍”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C48aMRhJes4
That’s a far cry from what Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was lobbying for after her unanimous decision win over Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299, which extended her winning streak to six. She asked for a rematch with women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.
Grasso was the most recent person to beat Barber in 2021. But Grasso also is booked to coach “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite Valentina Shevchenko with a trilogy rematch with her looming afterward.
So Grasso also no doubt knows a shot at the belt still is a bit down the road, given that timeline – which might mean any recovery from her hospitalization might be well in the rearview mirror by the time she’s ready to get back in the cage.
