Catching Up with Maycee Barber Ahead of Her Return at UFC 258

After suffering a torn ACL last January, the 22-year-old discusses her recovery, return and pursuit of the women’s flyweight title.

Maycee Barber returns to the Octagon this Saturday at UFC 258.

The bout marks her first fight since tearing her left ACL on the preliminary card of UFC 246 in January 2020. This will be a significant test as she meets Alexa Grasso in the co-main event. Up until her last fight, Barber (8-1) had been undefeated—and that was once also the case with Grasso (12-3), who started her career with nine straight wins.

The winner of this bout should be in a prime position to jump up the flyweight rankings, where Grasso is currently ranked 15th and Barber is 10th. Only 22, Barber aspires to become the youngest champion in UFC history, chasing women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. In order to accomplish that, her next step needs to be defeating Grasso this Saturday.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Barber discussed her return, overcoming injury and defeat and her relentless pursuit of the UFC women’s flyweight championship.

Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

Sports Illustrated: You have a great opportunity this Saturday at UFC 258 to continue to make your mark in the flyweight division, though this will be an incredibly tough fight against an opponent as dangerous as Alexa Grasso. Before we discuss the matchup, why is this the right time for you to return?

Maycee Barber: This is a great time for me to return to the Octagon. I’ve had a full recovery from my injury—I thought about coming back sooner, but I really wanted to make sure I came back at 100%. Had I jumped back too soon, I would have risked another injury, which I didn’t want to do. So I stayed focus on my recovery. And it’s the same thing with the matchup—Alexa is a tough opponent, she has a big following, and it’s an opportunity for me to prove myself.

SI: You went from undefeated to suddenly suffering your first loss and dealing with a surgery. Mentally, did that sharpen you? Will we see a different version of Maycee Barber in this fight?

MB: I’m only 22, but I feel like this entire experience made me wiser and more experienced. I came off a loss, and I showed a lot to myself in that fight when I tore my leg. I never once felt super bitter towards that loss—I proved that I’m not just going to quit when something doesn’t go my way.

I’ve been through the rehab and a camp change, and I grew a lot over the last year. The injury really allowed me to step back and look at who I am, where I want to go, and how I’m going to get there. I got a really good grasp of what it’s going to take to go after the title, so it ended up being a real positive for me.

SI: You haven’t fought since January 2020, which was a loss by unanimous decision to Roxanne Modafferi. What was the biggest lesson you took from the defeat?

MB: The biggest lesson I took away is that no matter what happens in a fight, I’m going to keep going. The doctors say when I went into that fight, there was possibly something wrong, which I did not feel. I truly felt great. I tore my leg in the first round, so when she threw that shot in the second round, I stepped back and my leg wasn’t there to hold it.

To me, I lost that fight, and that’s how I see it. When you walk away, people just see you as a winner or a loser. That’s something I learned to not take too emotionally. I know what happens in there, what went into it, and I learned and grew a lot from that fight.

SI: Modafferi has dropped two of her last three fights since defeating you. Would you like a chance to run it back with her after the Grasso fight?

MB: When I first lost that fight, I instantly said, “I want to fight her again.” I know I’d win that fight. I walked into that fight knowing I was going to win, a freak accident happened, and that was my outcome. If she is ranked above me, then yes, I wouldn’t mind fighting her again. But right now, my focus is chasing the title. That’s still my goal.

I only have a year left [to break Jon Jones’ record as the youngest champion in UFC history]. I’m focused on Alexa and getting that win, and then I want to fight Joanne Calderwood if she’ll take the fight, and then I want a title shot. I’m not bitter toward that fight. I fought her on one leg and I still got some shots in, and I still went the distance. Had I been on two legs, I know I would have finished her.

SI: You wouldn’t be where you are without your confidence. Does it bother you that it’s often perceived as cockiness?

MB: You don’t just wake up in the morning and become confident. You get confidence through putting in the work. I’ve been in martial arts since I was three years old, and I know what it takes to accomplish my dream. I’ve been around Rose [Namajunas], Joanna [Jedrzejczyk], Holly [Holm], Michelle [Waterson], I saw the work they put in. You don’t just get where you want to go by sitting back. My confidence comes from putting in the work.

The outcome is going to be what the outcome is going to be. I know I went into that fight against Roxanne 100% prepared. The outcome was not ideal for me, but I was confident because of my preparation. The fans of the sport, they’re going to hate you or they’re going to love you. The thing that matters is they have an opinion about you. I’d rather they think I am too cocky than not have an opinion about me at all.

The fighters that are cocky, ones like Conor McGregor, they get it. The ones that call you cocky, they’re the ones that aren’t going to go as far. They’re not going to reach their full potential when they’re too afraid to speak out about what they truly believe in their heart. You’ve got to be courageous enough to speak out and stand out. I don’t want to be just another one of the fighters, I’m here to stand out.

SI: I’ll ask you one more 246 question—and I’ll preface it by saying we’re often too hard on fighters during post-fight interviews—but do you remember what you were thinking when you spoke on the mic after your loss?

MB: I got a lot of hate from that, mainly from girls. I went up to Joe Rogan and I was in a little bit of a shock, but I truly meant what I said. I have a lot of respect for Roxanne, and I was thankful for the fight. Everything I said on the mic, you can’t plan that. Nobody knows what will happen when you take your first loss. People are still talking about it, and it happened a year ago–but like I said, if I do something and it goes against what normally happens, that’s just me.

SI: You had surgery a year ago to repair your torn left ACL. What was the toughest part of your recovery?

MB: The mental side was tough, knowing that I’d just lost and I could have won, but I couldn’t go back and have another fight right away. I wanted to fix it, do something different and prove I was better, but I was physically unable to walk. That taught me patience, and it taught me to put things in perspective.

Overall, that recovery was tough, but I focused on the positive. I had surgery, the best physical therapists to help during my recovery, and now I get to fight again and chase my goals and my dreams. Not everyone gets that, and I’m very lucky for this opportunity. It’s a chance to show the world I’ve overcome this and I am continuing to grow.

SI: Looking at this Saturday’s bout, Grasso is a fantastic striker and dangerous offensively from her back. Is grappling going to be the key here, along with some of your heavy combinations?

MB: Overall preparation is the key. The injury kept me out for a year, but that doesn’t mean I stopped watching film or stopped training. I’ve worked to become better, and I’m prepared. We trained for the worst possible situations, we’ve trained for the best possible situations. I don’t care if it’s standing, wrestling, grappling, no matter what, I’m ready. I’m going out there with my team, and we’re going to go out and show what we’re capable of.

I speak with [motivational speaker] Eric Thomas a lot. One of the things he’s made me think about is that this is not about her. It’s not about her being the best striker or her being a grappler. This is about her being a body. I need a body to show what I’m capable of. This whole camp has been based off showing what I am capable of and where I’m going. We’re ready, and I am going to go out and get that win.

SI: I know the narrative changes after a loss, but you did win your first eight fights for a reason. Is this fight where you remind people why you are “The Future”?

MB: Every fight I get is my chance to show that I am “The Future.” I’m going to show people the future with my next fight, too, and my next fight, and then the title fight–and I’m only getting better. When you watch me fight, you’re never going to see the same me. There is always going to be more, it’s always going to be better, more evolved and more prepared, and that’s what you’re going to see this Saturday.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.