Maycee Barber spoke with MMA Junkie ahead of Saturday’s UFC 246 event in Las Vegas.
UFC 246: Maycee Barber pre-fight interview
Maycee Barber spoke with MMA Junkie ahead of Saturday’s UFC 246 event in Las Vegas.
Tag: Maycee Barber
UFC 246 free fight: Relive Maycee Barber’s dominant debut at UFC Denver
Recap Maycee Barber’s debut performance in the octagon as she finished Hannah Cifers in Denver, Colorado.
[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] is determined to make UFC history, so it’s perhaps appropriate that her debut appearance in the UFC’s octagon came at an historic UFC event.
Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) announced herself as a dangerous new arrival in the UFC’s women’s flyweight division when she stepped into the octagon in Denver and produced a tough, gritty performance to finish hard-nosed fellow newcomer Hannah Cifers as part of the UFC’s 25th anniversary event on Nov. 10, 2018.
Colorado native Barber looked strong and confident in the stand-up as she looked to use her advantages on the feet against Cifers, who closed the distance and initiated the clinch in a bid to drag the youngster into the trenches. Barber more than held her own in the clinch, however, as she connected with knees to the body and tied up Cifers against the fence.
After finding herself on the receiving end of Barber’s strikes early in Round 2, Cifers looked to take the fight to the ground, but Barber quickly gained top position and proceeded to rain down powerful strikes on a bloodied-up Cifers until referee Kevin MacDonald stepped in to stop the fight.
It was an impressive, dominant display from the young debutant and gave us our first glimpse of not just her fighting ability, but her temperament as she adapted to the big stage with apparent ease.
It led current UFC lightweight contender and UFC analyst Paul Felder to heap praise on Barber’s performance, saying: “She’s putting ground and pound together like she’s been doing this for 30 years.”
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Barber went on to add two more TKO finishes to her resumé, with stoppages of JJ Aldrich and Gillian Robertson completing a hat trick of wins heading into UFC 246, where she will face off against “The Happy Warrior” Roxanne Modafferi on Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It will stream live on pay-per-view after prelims air on ESPN.
Relive Maycee Barber’s ground-and-pound finish of Hannah Cifers from UFC Fight Night 139 in the video above.
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Roxanne Modafferi explains decision to message Maycee Barber with hotel-bathtub warning ahead of UFC 246
Roxanne Modafferi explains her decision to direct message opponent Maycee Barber and warn her about a hotel concern ahead of UFC 246.
[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]’s most recent Instagram post made the rounds in the MMA community – and it wasn’t another callout of Paige VanZant.
“The Future” posted a screenshot of a direct message she received on Thursday afternoon, and it was from none other than [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag], who will be standing across from Barber in the octagon on Jan. 18 at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.
Modafferi (23-16 MMA, 2-4 UFC) wrote a thoughtful note warning Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) that some of the rooms in next week’s host hotel aren’t equipped with bathtubs, which are needed in many fighters’ preferred method of cutting weight.
Even in the trash-talking era of today’s MMA, it’s not uncommon for fighters to be friendly towards each other in the buildup to a fight, but helping and advising each other is certainly not seen often enough.
Speaking with MMA Junkie, Modafferi was unaware of Barber publicly posting her direct message but said she was glad to hear her opponent got the heads up.
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“Oh, good, because I messaged her, and I wasn’t sure if she’d see it because if you’re not following somebody, it goes to the other inbox,” Modafferi said. “So, what happened is that we were in the locker room, and we met at the UFC Performance Institute, and we were chatting and we talked about cutting weight. We both like cutting weight in the bathtub as opposed to a sauna or whatever, so I said to her, ‘I hope the hotel has a bathtub,’ and she said, ‘Yeah, I really hope so,’ et cetera.
“So I decided to call ahead and called the hotel and asked, ‘Hey, does the hotel have a bathtub?’ and they said no, so I thought, ‘Well, if she’s going to count on that, and we’re supposed to make weight for this fight,’ so I let her know. It’s just courtesy to a fellow fighter. You might want to make other plans, so I think the UFC is going to work it all out and hopefully they get us different rooms, but yeah.”
When asked why she would lend a hand to her opponent, Modafferi’s answer was simple and one you might expect from someone known as “The Happy Warrior.”
“Well, first of all, I like her,” Modafferi explained. “I’ve ran into her a few times, and she only talks about working hard, and I like that. She never talked bad about me, too, and also I really want her to make weight because I’ve had bad luck against opponents who’ve missed weight before. So it’s not really a selfish reason I contacted her, but I want her to be healthy, make weight, and we both make weight and have a good fight, throw down and I’m going to win. But I want her to be healthy.”
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Maycee Barber says finishes make her ‘The Future’: ‘I’ve shown that I’m a completely different fighter’
Maycee Barber says what separates her from other female fighters, is her ability to finish fights.
[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] thinks there’s one main thing that separates her from other female fighters: her ability to put people away.
All of Barber’s eight pro wins have come by finish, and she looks to extend her undefeated winning streak when she takes on Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246 on Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
At just 21 years old and known as “The Future,” Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) said she is happy to help change any potential notion that women’s fights are boring by once again displaying her fight-ending abilities.
“I’ve shown that I’m a completely different fighter, you know?” Barber told UFC News. “I’m a completely different fighter than all the women out there. How many women have you seen that have had four fights under the UFC name, and four finishes?”
“I’ve talked to a lot of coaches, and a lot of them have been like, ‘I really don’t like women’s fighting,’ and their reason why is because most women’s fights go the distance, and I’ve never done that, so I feel like I’m completely different in that sense, and that’s something I always strive for.”
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The highly-touted Barber will enter her fight as a very heavy favorite, despite taking on arguably her toughest test to date in veteran Modafferi (23-16 MMA, 2-4 UFC).
She’s been preparing for this camp at Roufusport in Milwaukee, where former UFC and WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, who also fights at UFC 246, has taken her under his wing.
“Anthony has been helping out a ton,” Barber said. “He’s been giving me a lot of advice, on my own training and then also like, just kind of being there to support because we’re on the same card this time, and so he’s giving motivation. He’ll check in: ‘Where’s your weight at,’ like we check in back and forth, which I never expected to have that from Anthony Pettis, so kind of as a fan girl, it’s cool to see.”
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2020 vision: Bold predictions in MMA for the new year
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn looks into his crystal ball to make 10 bold predictions for 2020 in UFC, Bellator and PFL.
The past decade was a time of great evolution and change in MMA, much of which even the most diehard fight fans couldn’t have seen coming. What will the first year of the next decade bring? Here are 10 bold predictions as the 2020 schedule gets set to kick off.
Without further ado …
* * * *
Khabib Nurmagomedov retires 30-0
UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] has made no secret that he doesn’t intend to have an extended career. His body has gone through the ringer due to various injuries over the years.
Moreover, Nurmagomedov already has etched out an undeniable legacy. If he can add a few more layers to that, he honestly doesn’t have much reason to keep going. If Nurmagomedov can get through what many believe to be his biggest obstacle in Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in April, then there really aren’t many true challenges left for “The Eagle.” Another win after that would bring his career record to 30-0, and if that fight is a massive one, like his long-desired Georges St-Pierre superfight – or perhaps a Conor McGregor rematch – he pretty much will have done it all.
The only reason for Nurmagomedov to stick around beyond that would be to reap the benefits of being a massive star (far bigger than now), and that money is hard to walk away from. Everyone around Nurmagomedov has long said financial security is of no concern to him, though. If that’s true, it elevates the chances of this happening.
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Four current UFC title reigns end prior to a successful defense
Of the UFC’s current crop of champions, the following have yet to register a successful title defense during their current reign: [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (heavyweight), [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (middleweight), [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (featherweight), [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (bantamweight), [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (women’s featherweight), and [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (strawweight).
More than half of those title reigns will go down as a flash in the pan.
Jon Jones’ UFC title record gets broken
For more than eight years, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ record for youngest champion in UFC history has gone largely unchallenged. Rose Namajunas had an opportunity to break his mark back in December 2014, but she fell short of winning the inaugural strawweight title.
2020, however, is the year Jones will be bumped from the history books. 21-year-old [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] (women’s flyweight or strawweight), 22-year-old [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (middleweight) and 22-year-old [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (bantamweight) are all on the rise, and have already secured ranked positions in their respective weight classes.
They all have challenging paths, but one will claim UFC gold in the next 12 months.
A.J. McKee becomes champion and Bellator’s biggest star
Bellator has received criticism for the way its slow-played many of its prospects, but going into 2020, it’s difficult to look at [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] and argue Scott Coker mishandled the development of a young man who will soon be the face of the organization.
At just 24, McKee already holds a plethora of Bellator records. He’s validated himself in a big way over his past few fights, advancing to the semifinals of the ongoing Bellator featherweight grand prix. In order to win that tournament (and the featherweight belt), he’s going to have to go through some real tough competition, but if he comes out the other end on top – watch out.
McKee has spent his entire career with Bellator. His fighting style is tremendously entertaining to watch, and he has personality for days. If adds a belt to all that, there’s no reason Bellator shouldn’t push him to the moon.
UFC disbands at least one weight class
The UFC flyweight division and women’s featherweight division have been on shaky ground essentially since their inceptions, and 2020 could be the year one – or both of them – finally go.
Yes, Henry Cejudo “saved” the flyweight division, and there is a vacant title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo lined up for Feb. 29, but what comes next? As fun as the weight class can be, there’s just not a lot of money-making fights at 125 pounds.
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In comparison to the women’s featherweight division, though, flyweight is a thriving wonderland. Champion Amanda Nunes hasn’t defended her belt since winning it in December 2018, and although the promotion has signed a few new fighters to the weight class, there’s still not much going on. Nunes really wants to defend that 145 title for her legacy, but once that happens, the UFC could finally decide to pull the plug.
(Next page: PFL’s future, UFC vs. Bellator, and more)
Prospect watch: Who are the fighters to look out for at UFC 246?
Check out Maycee Barber, Sodiq Yusuff and four more young prospects who are fighting at UFC 246 in Las Vegas later this month.
UFC 246 may be a top-heavy card, but it’s not short of potential future stars.
The night will be headlined by former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who takes on [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a welterweight bout.
In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will rematch [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC), a bout that was rescheduled from UFC 243 due to an injury suffered by Holm. Their first meeting took place at UFC 184, where Holm edged out Pennington by split decision to make good on her UFC debut.
The card also features an array of young and bright talent, varying from Dana White’s Contender Series veterans to European talent.
Here are six prospects to look out for Jan. 18:
Maycee Barber
Hailed as “The Future,” [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] has lived up to her moniker so far. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran is off to an undefeated start in her pro MMA career, and at only 21 has goals of becoming the youngest champion in UFC history.
Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) started her UFC tenure at strawweight, where she picked up a third-round finish over Jamie Colleen to earn a UFC contract. She followed that up with a second-round finish over Hannah Cifers in her official UFC debut in November 2018.
She then decided to make the move up to flyweight since she thought the cut down to 115 pounds was detrimental to her body. Her success continued: She was able to score two more finishes over J.J. Aldrich and Gillian Robertson.
Up next is her stiffest test to date: a matchup against former UFC flyweight title challenger Roxanne Modafferi, 16 years her senior. She may be entering the fight as a heavy favorite, but there’s a lot of upside on the young Barber, who could propel herself one step closer to title contention, with a win on Jan. 18.
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20 fighters who could become stars in the 2020s
A new decade is upon us, and these 20 fighters could take a step to greatness within it.
Well, another decade of mixed martial arts action is in the books.
The 2010s featured the emergence of superstars such as Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and Ronda Rousey. For the first time in UFC history, a simultaneous double champion was crowned in McGregor. And then it happened again (Daniel Cormier, and again (Amanda Nunes, and again (Henry Cejudo).
The next decade is almost guaranteed to provide us with the next generation of UFC, Bellator, and PFL champions. But who are the likely candidates to become future stars?
From hot UFC and Bellator prospects, to fighters on the regional scene, to athletes yet to compete in MMA, the up-and-comer harvest is plentiful. Who could be the next McGregor? The next Israel Adesanya? The next Zhang Weili?
Let’s take a look into MMA Junkie’s crystal ball and see who could cross the threshold into stardom over the span of the next decade.
Two parameters were set for this list:
- Fighters must be younger than age 30.
- Fighters have yet to hold a major organization’s title.
Fighters who fit the criteria but have seemingly already achieved stardom were not considered.
Without further ado …
****
Maycee Barber
Record: 8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC
Age: 21
Weight class: Flyweight
Height: 5’5″
Birthplace: Greeley, Colo.
Next Fight: Jan. 18 vs. Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246 in Las Vegas
Nicknamed “The Future,” [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] is just that. The strawweight has proven her worth in a short period of time, competing for LFA and on Dana White’s Contender Series prior to her UFC debut. Three fights into her promotional tenure, Barber sports a 100 percent finishing rate. In her most recent outing in October, Barber blitzed and TKO’d fellow top prospect Gillian Robertson. The win moved Barber one step closer to her publicly set goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion ever. She’ll look to continue her climb when she takes on her highest-ranked opponent to date, Roxanne Modafferi, at UFC 246 on Jan. 18.
Paulo Costa
Record: 13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC
Age: 28
Weight class: Middleweight
Height: 6’1″
Birthplace: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Next Fight: TBA
It almost seems like a misprint that [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] can qualify for this list – but he does. It’s easy to forget his age and relatively brief UFC tenure when looking at his accomplishments. A physical specimen, the Brazilian middleweight Costa has quickly risen through the ranks en route to title contention. Costa went the distance for the first time in his career in August. In doing so, he defeated his most notable opponent to date, two-time title challenger Yoel Romero. The victory presumably has set Costa up for a title shot against champion Israel Adesanya. However, a shoulder injury has delayed “Borrachinha’s” return – but the rivalry with Adesanya is continuing to build in the meantime.
Mike Davis
Record: 8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC
Age: 27
Weight class: Lightweight
Height: 6’0″
Birthplace: South Cairo, N.Y.
Next Fight: TBA
With an 80 percent winning percentage, [autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] doesn’t have a bad record by any means. But still, it isn’t representative of the skills he possesses. The Florida-based lightweight has only lost two top-tier talents in Sodiq Yusuff and Gilbert Burns. With crisp boxing and a strong ground game, Davis is a scary matchup for any member of the UFC’s 155-pound division. Just imagine how good he could become. The man hasn’t even hit the dozen-fight mark of his pro MMA career. In his most recent bout, Davis administered one of the year’s biggest beatdowns, pummeling Thomas Gifford at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in October.
Ciryl Gane
Record: 6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC
Age: 29
Weight class: Heavyweight
Height: 6’5″
Birthplace: France
Next Fight: TBA
It’s been a long time since MMA has seen a heavyweight prospect with the upside of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]. Working under esteemed MMA coach Fernand Lopez, France’s Gane has served as a main training partner for Francis Ngannou. Now, it’s his time. Possessing many of the same skills as Ngannou, Gane also brings some differences to the table. His athleticism and quickness is unusual for a heavyweight. Possessing a strong kickboxing background, Gane has shown he’s evolved past being a one-dimensional competitor. In two out of his three UFC outings, Gane has won by submission.
UFC 246’s 13-bout lineup finalized with Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone headliner
Check out the finalized lineup and broadcast plans for UFC 246, which takes place Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.
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The UFC will kick off 2020 with the long-awaited return of arguably its most bankable fighter.
UFC 246 takes place Jan. 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
The main event features a welterweight bout between former dual-division champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and former lightweight title challenger [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC).
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In the co-main event, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will take on [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in a rematch from a 2015 bout in which Holm edged out Pennington in her UFC debut. The rematch originally was scheduled to take place at UFC 243 in October, but Holm was forced out due to a hamstring injury.
Also on the card is former UFC lightweight champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], Dana White’s Contender Series standouts [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] and [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag], and more.
The full UFC 246 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
- Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
- [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
- [autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]
- [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] vs. Anthony Pettis
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)
- Maycee Barber vs. [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]
- [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] vs. Sodiq Yusuff
- [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]
- [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chas Skelly[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
- [autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Ledet[/autotag]
- [autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
- [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]
- [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]
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Maycee Barber: Paige VanZant turned me down, but Roxanne Modafferi way better anyway
“My career will be successful no matter what, if I beat her up or not.”
[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] wanted to fight [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag].
According to Barber, however, the same can’t be said the other way around. After multiple callouts of VanZant, Barber is set to take on [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] at UFC 246 on Jan. 18.
In an interview with Submission Radio, Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) revealed the fight was offered to VanZant (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who turned it down. Barber claims VanZant wants to fight at 115 pounds and needs more time to prepare.
“They offered it to Paige at 125, (and) she said no,” Barber said. “From what I heard, she said she wanted a fight at 115, but she would need more time. So, as far as I know, it’s offered to her at 125 when she wants to take the fight at 125. And other than that, it’s kind of like, I’m just gonna keep doing what I do with my career, and when she decides to fight, we’ll fight.”
Is Barber disappointed she won’t be facing VanZant? Not really. Barber said VanZant would just be an added “bonus” to her resume of work.
“My career will be successful no matter what, if I beat her up or not,” Barber said. “That was kind of like a bonus – like, beat her up and prove a point. But that’s it.”
Additionally, Barber compared VanZant and Modafferi (23-16 MMA, 2-4 UFC). She said she views Modafferi as a more challenging matchup and criticized VanZant’s evolution (or lack thereof) as a fighter.
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“Roxanne is way better of a fighter than Paige VanZant,” Barber said. “And there’s a lot of women out there who are a tougher fight. Paige VanZant just did the marketing well, and that was because the UFC got behind her on that.
“But like I’ve said multiple times, she didn’t hold up her end of the deal and she didn’t continue to progress as a fighter, she just continued to progress on the more marketing and media side of that. So, yeah, there’s a lot more girls that had been working there their butts off a lot more than Paige has.”
Barber’s tune when speaking on VanZant compared to Modafferi was night and day. Barber voiced her respect for one of the most experienced fighters in the history of women’s MMA. She sees the fight as a passing of the guard, of sorts.
“(Roxanne’s) been there so long within the sport,” Barber said. “She has so many fights. She has like 39 fights. And I don’t know if that includes her amateur career or not. She’s been around for a lot of fights and through a lot of the women in MMA. So, it’s really a very historic fight for us. Because we’re taking someone who has pretty much gone and done and seen it all, and then you have someone who’s been working their whole life just to be where they are right now.
“And I’m super young and super new in my career. So you kind of have the new and the old, and I think people are gonna be shocked. They expect, like, oh, you’re fighting her and she’s got so much experience over you. But what they don’t realize is that I’ve been working my whole life, and I’m 21, but that’s like 17 years of work that I’ve put into this.”
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Maycee Barber vs. Roxanne Modafferi in the works for UFC 246 on Jan. 18
In a matchup that will touch all generations of women’s MMA, Maycee Barber will meet Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246.
In a matchup that will touch all generations of women’s MMA, unbeaten rising star [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] will meet veteran former title challenger [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag].
The women’s flyweight bout will take place at UFC 246, according to two people familiar with the booking but not authorized to discuss it publicly. Both Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Modafferi (23-16 MMA, 2-4 UFC) have verbally agreed for the event slated for Jan. 18.
Barber, No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA women’s flyweight rankings, has put together three consecutive knockout victories since making her UFC debut in November 2018. “The Future” has set the goal of becoming the youngest champion in UFC history and, at 21, has less than two years to break Jon Jones’ record.
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She’ll get a big step up in competition against No. 7 Modafferi, who made her MMA debut in 2003 and will compete in her 40th professional bout at UFC 246. The 37-year-old has alternated wins and losses in five fights since returning to the UFC for a second stint in December 2017.
UFC 246 doesn’t have a location but will air on pay-per-view following prelims likely on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
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The latest UFC 246 lineup now includes:
- Drew Dober vs. Nasrat Haqparast
- Grant Dawson vs. Chas Skelly
- Maycee Barber vs. Roxanne Modafferi