When Maycee Barber first entered the UFC cage in 2018, fresh off her Contender Series run, she was 5-0 and twenty years old. The future looked bright for ‘The Future.’ Fast forward eight years, and she’s making a video licking the wounds on her body and her pride after a sickening loss. It does not help that her seven-fight winning run was snapped by the same woman she last lost to – Alexa Grasso.
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It’s not a video Maycee Barber wanted to make, but she did, thanking the UFC and her opponent, Grasso, for the opportunity to avenge her February 2021 loss. She also provided an update on her health after being turned into a highlight reel on social media following her brutal first-round knockout at the hands of Grasso in the UFC Seattle co-main event on Saturday night inside the Climate Pledge Arena.
“I wanted to go out there and… to get my rematch and dominate and get the win back,” Barber said in a video she shared on Instagram. “And unfortunately, it was not my night. I got caught, and Alexa did an amazing thing. She is a phenomenal fighter, and I don’t really remember a whole lot. All I know is that every time I go on social media, I look like I’m dead, and that’s not a very fun thing to see, so I’ve been trying to stay off social media.
“But I also wanted to come on here and at least tell you guys that I am okay. I am very blessed to live the life that I do. As tough as it is, going out there and being able to do what I did last night was still one of the greatest nights of my life, despite all of that.”
Maycee Barber went into the fight with a seven-fight win streak and hoped she could beat Alexa Grasso to secure a flyweight title shot. But now that she has failed in that endeavor, ‘The Future’ must go back to the drawing board and assess what went wrong.
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“I will be back,” she added in the video. “I’m going to heal up and put in the work and get back out there, so I’m very thankful to everyone who has supported me, everyone who has watched me grow… win… lose… fall, and who’s going to watch me win again. So, thank you, guys, for the love and support, and I will be back. God is good all of the time, on the highs, on the lows. He’s good all the time, so it doesn’t matter.”
The loss came in Barber’s second fight since she was forced to stay on the sidelines for over a year. She was scheduled to face Erin Blanchfield on May 31, 2025, but just before she was supposed to walk out for the fight, she suffered a medical emergency. It forced her to withdraw, and she had to be in the hospital. Maycee Barber has since received treatment and was doing better before getting knocked out on Saturday.
While Barber had to say goodbye to her title shot, someone else may have benefited from her loss.
Valentina Shevchenko may have found her next opponent after Maycee Barber lost her fight
Valentina Shevchenko may have found her next opponent after Maycee Barber’s latest setback at UFC Seattle. Barber’s emphatic loss derailed her momentum and likely ended her immediate title hopes. That outcome, however, opened the door for Natalia Silva, who quickly staked her claim.
“Speak less. I’m the next challenger for the title,” Silva posted, reacting to the fight.
The Brazilian contender is riding an undefeated UFC run and holds a recent win over Grasso, strengthening her case. With Barber’s loss and Shevchenko’s next challenger still unconfirmed, Silva’s consistency and confidence could put her at the front of the line.
‘Bullet’s last outing was a champion vs. champion outing against Zhang Weili. It was her second title defense in her second reign, after dropping her title and winning it back in the trilogy with Grasso. And as things stand, her next fight might be a legacy one as well.
Bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison wanted to fight Valentina Shevchenko at the White House event. She planned to beat Amanda Nunes in their canceled UFC 324 bout and then take on ‘Bullet’ on the South Lawn in June. But a neck injury put a pin in those discussions.
Shevchenko has always been a fighting champion. She could sit out and wait for the Harrison vs. Nunes winner if she wanted. But it is unlikely that she does. She might fight another challenger while she waits, and unfortunately for Barber, it won’t be her.
Despite losing her title shot, Maycee Barber is thankful that she can take her time and return to start her road to the title once again. Hopefully, fans will get to see her back in action soon.
