SAN ANTONIO – UFC flyweight Maycee Barber wants to avenge her loss to now-champion Alexa Grasso, and plans to do whatever it takes to get there.
At UFC on ESPN 43, Barber (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) won a split decision against Andrea Lee. It was a close fight in which two official judges turned in dueling 29-28 scores, while another saw every round for Barber.
Lee (13-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) racked up a lot of control time on the mat, but when the fight was on the feet, Barber won striking exchanges.
“I was a little bit frustrated, obviously, she’s strong and she’s been working her wrestling, but the thing is, she took me down and she was able to hold, but wasn’t doing any damage,” Barber told reporters at the post-fight news conference. “So, that was a little bit frustrating because it just felt like we’re just sitting here just to sit here.
“So, I was trying to figure out a way to cause damage and do some damage, but at the same time, I think if she was trying to do some damage herself, it would have created a little bit more opening for us to have some scrambles. I think it would have been a little bit more exciting of a fight, but I’m happy with the performance for sure.”
After her fourth straight win, Barber now turns her focus to reaching a rematch against Grasso, who became champion at UFC 285 by submitting the long-reigning Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso defeated Barber in the UFC 258 co-main event by unanimous decision, and it’s a fight she wants back more than anything. Whether or not that’s what’s next, Barber will do what it takes to make sure it happens.
“If they give me the spot, then I’ll take it,” Barber said. “At the same time, the next girl they put in my way, I’m going to wreck her too. … Obviously, I lost to her, so obviously, I want that fight back. But at the same time, I’m never going to create excuses because Alexa Grasso is an amazing athlete and fighter, but that was a camp I’m not proud of. I’m not proud of that at all.
“I had a lot of outside factors, but I was training, and I was working hard, and I was going as though I was going to win that fight. She was the better fighter that night, so obviously, there’s a little bit of bitterness in my mouth. I want that fight back.”
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