Maycee Barber has all of the confidence in the world. Part of that could be her unbelievable array of well-rounded skills in the compressed timeframe of her young UFC career. It could also be the unusual approval received so early from UFC President Dana White. Whatever the circumstance, Maycee wants UFC gold around her waist and she doesn’t want to wait. With great intentions for “The Future”, Barber wants to be the youngest UFC champion in history and has provided herself a timeline of 3 years or less to do so.
A post shared by Maycee "The Future" Barber (@mayceebarber) on Mar 22, 2019 at 9:54am PDT
You may be questioning to yourself, how could such a young fighter with just one official bout in her UFC career have the courage to vow that she will a bigger star than both Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, two of the UFC’s prominent marquee names in the history of the organization? What makes her think that she could become the youngest champion in UFC history? The answer? Simple. Barber has more self-confidence than Mariano Rivera closing out a high-pressure playoff game in the 9th inning and Dana White believes in her as much as Joe Torre and the late George Steinbrenner believed in Rivera.
The belief comes from being an athlete at the young age of three. Her parents, Maryanne and Bucky Barber started all 6 of their children in Kenpo karate and by the time Maycee hit the age of 13 she knew she wanted to be in the UFC. Her mind was made up around the era where Benson Henderson, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, and Jose Aldo were dominant UFC champions and Ronda Rousey was still yet to make her UFC debut. While her parents were wary of the foreseeable destiny of Maycee becoming an MMA fighter, they had no alternative but to accept the reality that their daughter had a hunger to become UFC elite.
A post shared by Maycee "The Future" Barber (@mayceebarber) on Mar 9, 2019 at 10:18pm PST
Fast forward and Maycee is now a second-degree black belt in Kempo Karate, as well as a purple belt in Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ryron and Rener Gracie at the age of 20. She has also trained under MMA’s biggest names in coaching such as Trevor Wittman, Duane Ludwig, and Greg Jackson. Also, she has trained at the Roufusport Academy where Anthony Pettis, Tyron Woodley, Paul Felder, and Jared Gordon spar hard daily. Not many 20-year-olds have such a broad assortment of Hall of Fame level instruction but “The Future” wants to be the best and knows what it takes to achieve greatness.
A post shared by Maycee "The Future" Barber (@mayceebarber) on Sep 1, 2017 at 6:26pm PDT
All of the well-rounded knowledge acquired from diverse training has already paid dividends. The return on investment is a 6-0 record with 3 TKO’s, 2 submissions, and a decision victory. Four of those fights were in LFA, one on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, and one on the big stage on the UFC against Hannah Cifers. In the fight against Cifers, Maycee was about to display crisp head movement, flowing punches, strength in the clinch, and vicious ground and pound that ultimately ended the fight in the second round. In other words, one could describe Barber’s fight style as adaptive and reactive. No matter where the fight goes, she has a switch that can be turned on where an extensive archive of knowledge computes and flows effortlessly.
Her next fight against JJ Aldrich at UFC Fight Night 148 in Nashville should be a substantial test of her skill. Aldrich has a UFC record of 3-1 and an overall record of 7-2 with wins over Polyana Viana and Danielle Taylor. Vegas has set the betting odds close with Maycee Barber (-255) vs. J.J. Aldrich (+215). As her toughest test to date, now would be the time for “The Future” to shine. A win here continues her win streak and gets her one step closer to her ultimate goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion ever. The goal is so crucial to Barber that she has a countdown on her phone to the very second that she needs to break Jon Jones record of winning a UFC championship at age 23.
A post shared by Maycee "The Future" Barber (@mayceebarber) on Nov 10, 2018 at 3:31pm PST
Some fans around the world survey Maycee Barber as arrogant while others observe her as ambitious. What can not be denied, however, is the hard work, devotion, and discipline introduced from the age of 3 that has taken her to where she is now. Her faith arises from self-belief that rages profoundly within. Knowledge acquired from a compilation of the greatest MMA coaches on the planet has prepared her for war. The question should be why would Maycee not be confident? She has elite training, work ethic, praise from her boss, and an undefeated record under her belt at the age of 20. The future is bright for “The Future”, who has 2 years and 2 months to achieve her championship aspirations whether she is fighting in the UFC Strawweight or Flyweight division. With the understanding that she needs at least three more wins before a title shot, the clock is ticking on Barber’s aspirations to dethrone Jones. If that goal is achieved, she will also back her claims on being as big as Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor. All of that success would be attained before Barber could legally take a sip of Proper 12 in celebration of her achievements, but as long as they’re met before her phone countdown hits its last second, fans will have no choice but to appreciate greatness.
Comments