Maycee Barber returns for the first time in over a year this Saturday and plans to make Erin Blanchfield pay for her recent comments.
Barber and Blanchfield battle in the main event of UFC Vegas 107 in a pivotal flyweight matchup. Barber makes her first appearance since a decision win over Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299 in March 2024, but after that victory, Barber was hospitalized for nine days with an illness she still has plenty of questions about, and because of the lingering effects, she was forced to withdraw from the UFC Denver main event against Rose Namajunas this past July.
Leading into the fight, Blanchfield admitted having concerns Barber may not make it to the fight. Days before her return, “The Future” responded to those comments.
“I think that Erin said that because Erin has absolutely nothing else to say,” Barber told MMA Fighting. “I don’t really know what she could say that’s like that mean. I’ve tried to rack my brain and think about, oh, well, she’s gonna say [this or what]. What else could she say?
“Well, she can’t say anything. I mean, I guess that’s her only concern is that I might not make it to the fight, which doesn’t make a lot of sense, other than me being sick but that’s in the past. I took a fight and I’ve never pulled out of a fight for any reason other than health issues. So I think it’s pretty ignorant, but that’s really about it.”
It’s been a long road back to the octagon for Barber, who is set to make her 12th promotional appearance. The 27-year-old is riding an impressive seven-fight win streak, and hasn’t tasted defeat in nearly four years.
Barber feels strong and ready to make her case for a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko, and has been paying attention to all of the changes in the division since she last competed. After coming through a rough stretch, Barber sees things clearly as she recounts when she made it to the other side of her illness.
“I feel blessed, honestly,” Barber said. “I feel excited, I’m more than ready and honestly, I’m just thankful that I’m getting to do this again. …
“It was a lot of like back and forth, ‘Are you good? You’re good. No, you’re not good. You’re good, no, you’re not good,’ but it didn’t happen until like December, or January [where I felt I could take a fight]. So I got to start training in like November, December time.”
Blanchfield suffered a setback at UFC Atlantic City in March 2024 losing a lopsided decision to Manon Fiorot in the main event. “Cold Blooded” bounced back with win over Namajunas to maintain her spot in the contender line, but Barber is eager to take it for herself.
“I don’t care who’s in front of me,” Barber explained. “I’m ready to put them all away and, and get my spot for the belt. I’ve never turned down a fight and I’ve never said no. I’ve never walked away from anything, and there was like five different names that were thrown at me, but the only one that stuck, I think the only one that made sense — whether it was like from an injury perspective or matchup perspective, I think all of it added up — it was Erin and so I took it and here we are.
“I think it was the best opportunity in the UFC’s eyes, I think. It doesn’t really matter to me. They threw out multiple opponents, but it was all just kind of like, ‘What do you think of this one? What do you think of this one?’ And then when Erin was offered, I [said] yes, and she said yes.”
Barber says she plans to call for a title shot with a victory on Saturday — which she plans to make emphatic, memorable, and bloody.
“That it was a bloodbath and that it wasn’t it wasn’t a back and forth brawl,” Barber said. “So I plan on hurting Erin and I plan on finishing her in a dominant way and getting my spot.”
