Maycee Barber wants her rematch.
“The Future” was put on hold six fights ago. Barber, 25, last suffered defeat against the now-Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s Flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, via a unanimous decision in February 2021.
On her current six-fight winning streak (14-2 overall), Barber, believes she’s done enough to surpass Manon Fiorot, who just added to her own winning streak of 12 (7 in UFC, 12-1 overall). Fiorot earned a unanimous decision win over Erin Blanchfield at UFC Atlantic City this past weekend (March 30, 2024). The main event bout was billed as a No. 1 contender bout for the winner of the eventual trilogy between Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko.
“It was a lackluster fight for me,” Barber said on The MMA Hour. “I feel like it didn’t really put a statement out there, like, ‘Oh, hey, I’m really ready to take the belt.’ I wasn’t really impressed by their performances.
“I’m down to fight for the No. 1 contender spot, but at the same time, I’m like, I want my rematch,” she continued. “So, I don’t feel like I have anything else to prove. I’m on a six-fight win streak, I have history with Alexa, and I also feel like I could be a back up fighter. It’s kind of a unique situation. It’s tough because the girls are fighting, Valentina and Alexa, are fighting.”
Whether it’s Barber, Fiorot, or the winner of a match up between them next, they’ll have to wait for the aforementioned trilogy’s conclusion. Other possible opponents, like Rose Namajunas, have been mentioned to Barber for her next fight. Despite Namajunas’ name value and status as a former Strawweight champion, Barber sees it as a step back.
“Let Rose and Erin fight,” Barber said. “If I’m gonna fight Rose, I’m gonna fight backward, and I want a bigger check. But that’s the tough answer. There’s Manon then the two girls fighting, Valentina and Alexa.
“If it was up to me, I’d fight Alexa Grasso,” she continued. “I heard Valentina doesn’t want to fight Alexa in The Sphere, so if that’s the case, I’d fight Alexa in The Sphere.”