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Ever since she stepped into the Octagon, Maycee Barber hasn’t shied away from the spotlight. Her goal to break Jon Jones’ record and become the youngest UFC champion ever doesn’t seem like an aspiration as much as a tangible pursuit. Since making her debut in November 2018, she has kept her name relevant between a mix of talking a big game and making good on that talk.
In three fights, Barber racked up three TKO finishes, most recently and impressively a first-round stoppage over fellow up-and-coming flyweight Gillian Robertson in Boston. It was Barber’s most dominant performance yet, displaying the power and finishing instinct that makes her such an intriguing fighter. After moving up to flyweight and linking up with Duke Roufus and company in Milwaukee, a title shot feels within reach this year. However, she must first handle her first top-10 opponent in Roxanne Modafferi, a veteran in the fight game and one who isn’t a stranger to slowing down an undefeated hype train.
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“The Happy Warrior” took out Antonina Shevchenko in mid-2019 and showed she still has more than enough to be a problem for Barber. Despite her standing as the biggest underdog on the card, Modafferi isn’t a slouch and has been fighting professionally since 2003. She’s a tricky veteran who is keen on renovating her game as much as she can. As dominant as Barber has been, she faced real adversity against JJ Aldrich and can get herself in trouble when she isn’t calculated. If she puts together another freight train of a performance, though, she won’t be far off from knocking on Valentina Shevchenko’s door next.