Maycee Barber returns for the primary time in over a 12 months this Saturday and plans to make Erin Blanchfield pay for her current feedback.
Barber and Blanchfield battle in the primary occasion of UFC Vegas 107 in a pivotal flyweight matchup. Barber makes her first look since a choice win over Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299 in March 2024, however after that victory, Barber was hospitalized for 9 days with an sickness she nonetheless has loads of questions on, and due to the lingering results, she was compelled to withdraw from the UFC Denver primary occasion towards Rose Namajunas this previous July.
Main into the combat, Blanchfield admitted having concerns Barber may not make it to the fight. Days earlier than her return, “The Future” responded to these feedback.
“I feel that Erin stated that as a result of Erin has completely nothing else to say,” Barber instructed MMA Preventing. “I don’t actually know what she may say that’s like that imply. I’ve tried to rack my mind and take into consideration, oh, effectively, she’s gonna say [this or what]. What else may she say?
“Properly, she will be able to’t say something. I imply, I assume that’s her solely concern is that I won’t make it to the combat, which doesn’t make a variety of sense, aside from me being sick however that’s prior to now. I took a combat and I’ve by no means pulled out of a combat for any cause aside from well being points. So I feel it’s fairly ignorant, however that’s actually about it.”
It’s been an extended street again to the octagon for Barber, who is about to make her twelfth promotional look. The 27-year-old is using a powerful seven-fight win streak, and hasn’t tasted defeat in almost 4 years.
Barber feels sturdy and able to make her case for a title shot towards Valentina Shevchenko, and has been being attentive to all the modifications within the division since she final competed. After coming by way of a tough stretch, Barber sees issues clearly as she recounts when she made it to the opposite aspect of her sickness.
“I really feel blessed, actually,” Barber stated. “I really feel excited, I’m greater than prepared and actually, I’m simply grateful that I’m getting to do that once more. …
“It was a variety of like forwards and backwards, ‘Are you good? You’re good. No, you’re not good. You’re good, no, you’re not good,’ however it didn’t occur till like December, or January [where I felt I could take a fight]. So I obtained to start out coaching in like November, December time.”
Blanchfield suffered a setback at UFC Atlantic City in March 2024 dropping a lopsided resolution to Manon Fiorot in the primary occasion. “Chilly Blooded” bounced again with win over Namajunas to keep up her spot within the contender line, however Barber is raring to take it for herself.
“I don’t care who’s in entrance of me,” Barber defined. “I’m able to put all of them away and, and get my spot for the belt. I’ve by no means turned down a combat and I’ve by no means stated no. I’ve by no means walked away from something, and there was like 5 totally different names that have been thrown at me, however the one one which caught, I feel the one one which made sense — whether or not it was like from an harm perspective or matchup perspective, I feel all of it added up — it was Erin and so I took it and right here we’re.
“I feel it was the perfect alternative within the UFC’s eyes, I feel. It doesn’t actually matter to me. They threw out a number of opponents, however it was all simply sort of like, ‘What do you consider this one? What do you consider this one?’ After which when Erin was supplied, I [said] sure, and he or she stated sure.”
Barber says she plans to name for a title shot with a victory on Saturday — which she plans to make emphatic, memorable, and bloody.
“That it was a massacre and that it wasn’t it wasn’t a forwards and backwards brawl,” Barber stated. “So I plan on hurting Erin and I plan on ending her in a dominant method and getting my spot.”
