5 reasons to keep an eye on Maycee Barber
UFC 246 is just 10 days away and with Conor McGregor headlining the card, many of the new viewers that will be turning in will have a chance to witness “The Future” for the very first time.
Maycee Barber, whose nickname is “The Future,” will headline the prelims on ESPN against Roxanne Modafferi in a flyweight bout. Barber is a young prospect with a perfect 8-0 record and her goal is to become the youngest champion in UFC history. The 21-year-old fighter has all the makings of being a superstar and here’s five reason why you should watch her at UFC 246.
1. She finishes fights
Everyone loves seeing a finish and it just so happens that Barber has no problem finishing fights. Only one of her eight professionals contests has gone the distance, and her seven finishes consist of five knockouts and two submissions.
Barber earned a UFC contract in 2018 by getting a TKO win on Dana White’s Contender Series. Since signing with the promotion, she has made the walk to the octagon three times and all three fights ended with the referee jumping in to save her opponents.
2. Microphone skills
If you haven’t listened to an interview with Maycee Barber yet, go do it right now. The girl could sell sand to someone stranded in a desert. The old saying of the ‘squeaky wheel gets the grease’ applies to Barber because guess who will probably be getting a title shot very soon? You guessed it. Maycee Barber. She’s been saying she’s going to be the youngest champ ever and everyone is sold on it.
3. She’s got the look
Barber is a very attractive young lady, and as much as everyone hopes to think otherwise, looks do often help with promotion. Look at Ronda Rousey, who was constantly putting on a dress and walking down a red carpet. Paige VanZant claims she makes more money modeling than she does fighting. Recently, Joanna Jedrzejczyk saw her Instagram followers jump from 1.4 million to 1.5 million in less that 24 hours after posting modeling photos.
I am by no means saying that you have to be gorgeous in order to be a star in women’s MMA, but it certainly helps. Check another box for Barber.
4. The dedication story
Barber grew up in Colorado as one of six children. Given her potential in the sport, Barber’s family picked up and moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in order for her to train full-time out of Roufusport.
The move has given her the opportunity to train with some of the best fighters in the world. It also lead to her getting to work on her wrestling with Ben Askren. While many people maybe viewing Askren as a UFC bust as of late, they must remember that he was a former two-time NCAA Division I National Champion and a former Olympian in the sport of wrestling.
5. She has the heart of the champion
Go watch her against against JJ Aldrich. The first round was bad. Aldrich dropped Barber early in the round and controlled the action. In the second round Barber flipped the script. She was able to drop a massive shot on Aldrich and get a TKO win.
That fight showed that she won’t back down from a challenge or throw in the towel. While her best years are definitely ahead of her, she’s mature for her age in the fight game.
UFC 246 fight card:
Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone – 170 lbs
Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington – 135 lbs
Alexey Oleinik vs. Maurice Greene – 265 lbs
Cláudia Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso – 115 lbs
Anthony Pettis vs. Diego Ferreira – 155 lbs
Maycee Barber vs. Roxanne Modafferi – 125 lbs
Andre Fili vs. Sodiq Yusuff – 145 lbs
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Drew Dober – 155 lbs
Chas Skelly vs. Grant Dawson – 145 lbs
Aleksa Camur vs. Justin Ledet – 205 lbs
Tim Elliott vs. Askar Askarov – 125 lbs
Ode Osbourne vs. Brian Kelleher – 135 lbs
Sabina Mazo vs. JJ Aldrich – 125 lbs
