Years on from their original booking at UFC 269 – that was back in 2021 – Maycee Barber and Erin Blanchfield will finally throw down, this time in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 107.
Their original meeting saw Blanchfield step in as a replacement fighter, only for Barber to then pull out hurt. They now meet with both fighters much further along in their quest for UFC gold, in a five-round fight that could bring title implications with it.
“I think that this is the perfect opportunity for me to showcase my skills and to get a finish, get a dominant win, and continue my win streak and put it at seven,” Barber (14-2) suggested during this week’s UFC Vegas 107 media day. “And solidify my shot at the belt.”
Despite Weili Zhang looming and Natalia Silva on a tear, Barber does believe that a win could get her to the flyweight belt, currently held by Valentina Shevchenko, next. “I do. I believe that I should be next in line for the belt with a dominant performance, dominant finish, and putting my name out there and doing what I need to do,” Barber exclaimed. “The Future’s” current win streak includes victories over former title challengers Jessica Eye and Kaitlin Cerminara, among others.
If the resume alone doesn’t sway those in power, perhaps Maycee Barber’s approach to fighting will. Her goal with every fight, she explained, is to leaving people thinking “‘damn, she really goes out there and she goes for a finish and she goes out there to hurt these girls.'”
“And I think that’s what makes me dangerous,” Barber added. “I don’t just want to go out there and fight these girls and win, I don’t want just a decision win. I want to go out there and hurt these girls and make sure that they know that when they get done with a fight with me, they never want to fight me again.”
Should Barber not arrive at a title shot next, there’s still a few interesting names out there. She was previously linked to a fight with Rose Namajunas, which headlined a card in Denver. A Colorado native, Barber would love to fight in Denver, though the actual match-up with the former strawweight champ has lost some of its allure.
“I don’t think I really care about fighting Rose necessarily. I think that when she was coming into the flyweight division and it was a little bit different of a situation – she already got beat. I don’t want to fight backwards, I’m continuing to go to the belt. I think me now fighting Rose would be going backwards, but I definitely want to be main event in Denver.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 107 media day appearance by Maycee Barber above.
