JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Maycee Barber sees UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso’s success as a good reflection on her.
Winner of her past four in a row, Barber’s (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) most recent setback came to Grasso by decision at UFC 258 in February 2021. Grasso went on to dethrone Valentina Shevchenko in a stunning upset at UFC 285 in March.
With Amanda Nunes retiring, Grasso (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) is now the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter, and Barber is happy for her achievement.
“I think it’s great,” Barber told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at UFC on ABC 5 media day. “It is cool to see other women have success and especially all the girls that I’ve fought, the better they do the better it continues to look on, not just me, them too. I’m happy for her. At the end of the day, I want to see every woman and everybody have their chance at achieving their dreams and their goals. I know that mine will come. I’m happy for her, but at the same time I’m out here working to come and claim that.”
Barber meets Amanda Ribas (11-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ABC 5 co-main event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Grasso is expected to run things back with Shevchenko. If the former long-reigning champ reclaims her title, a trilogy could be on the horizon which would momentarily put the division on hold.
So would Barber prefer if Grasso retained her title? “The Future” says not necessarily.
“Yes and no,” Barber said. “I feel like I’m gonna control the things that I can control, and that’s going out and winning over Amanda and continuing to train and evolve, so that when my time comes, I’m ready. Whatever happens, happens. I think it would be cool to see a new champ in there, so for Alexa to continue to win, I think that would be awesome.
“At the same time, she has a tough fight with Valentina. That isn’t an easy out. Valentina was the champ for so long for a reason, and I think it’s an exciting fight to see the second one. I don’t know if I want to watch the same fight three times, but seeing the rematch will be good for sure.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.
