Athletes
Maycee Barber: 'It's Been Too Long'
Flyweight Standout Opens Up About Extended Absence Ahead Of UFC 323 Return
Maycee Barber sat on the bar-height chair, microphone in hand, and apologized as the lump in her throat choked out the answer she was trying to deliver. Her eyes welled up, and the tears eventually began to work their way over freely.
Provided with tissues and caringly reminded to breathe by McKenzie Pavacich, Barber smiled and joked, “I think I’ve been holding my breath this whole 21 months.”
It wouldn’t be the only time during the interview that the returning 27-year-old would let her emotions out, but when you’ve been through what she’s been through and kept away from the thing you love for as long as she has, it’s not only understandable, but necessary.
When Barber steps into the Octagon on Saturday night against Karine Silva as part of the UFC 323 preliminary card, it will mark the first time since she defeated Katlyn Cerminara at UFC 299 that the flyweight contender has gotten the opportunity to compete. Following the victory – her sixth straight triumph — Barber was hospitalized for several days with a bad infection. When that cleared, she went through a partial camp for a main event assignment opposite Rose Namajunas but was forced to withdraw when it was clear the issues that were plaguing her after the bout with Cerminara were still lingering.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
Usually, reaching Fight Week brings about a sense of relief for an athlete that has been sidelined for a considerable amount of time, but that isn’t the case for Barber this week, as she went through every step of the process other than walking out and competing back in May.
“I don’t know if it feels like relief,” she said of being back and going through the paces, just a couple of days away from facing Silva. “It feels like I’m here just to — I’m expecting to just go out there and… and…”
The catch in her throat resurfaces.
“I don’t know how to put it into words, but I’m just expecting to go out there and just do what I love,” she added, momentarily holding things together. “It’s been too long.”
Asked what the 21-month ordeal has taught her about the sport and her passion for it, Barber quickly responded, “That it can be taken away at any second; that anything can be taken away at any second” before the rumpled tissue in her hand was once again dabbing at escaped tears.
“Damn! I didn’t realize how many emotions I had in me,” she added with a laugh, the trickle of tears growing a little more intense. “I guess I just really wanted to be here.”
Order UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 | How To Watch And Stream UFC 323
No one should have ever questioned that, given that Barber has been chasing her UFC dreams since she was a teenager, carries the nickname “The Future” because that’s how she’s always seen herself and been viewed by those who cover the sport, and reached the biggest stage in the sport as a 20-year-old. Since then, she’s bolted out of the gates and been forced to take a step back, dealing with injuries and setbacks like anyone else, only to regroup, refocus, and embark on the best run of her career before this string of illnesses and medical issues forced her to press pause.
The fact that she’s back again traces the same steps she took in May, but this time as part of a bigger card, under even more scrutiny, only serves to reiterate her commitment and drive. But it’s clear that the ordeal has changed her, at least for the time being.
“Frustrating; it’s been very frustrating,” she said, attempting to sum up her experiences since collecting her sixth consecutive victory in a word or two. “It’s taught me a lot of patience, but honestly, it’s just been like a thing where I think the people that have had to have the most patience are the people around me because I put them through hell.”
Her eyes glanced at the back of the room, where her boyfriend Oscar Herrera, her coach Guilherme Faria, and her training partner and close friend Valesca Machado, better known by her fighting name, Tina Black, all stood in rapt attention.
“I would say and I think everyone else in my life will say that it has made me a very angry, very bitter person, and I think after this fight and after this win, it will change a lot,” Barber added, her tone downshifting, the expression on her face sinking a little, like admitting this saga has changed her demeanor was something she previously hadn’t openly acknowledged. “I have so much to prove and so much pent up that I just want to let it out. Let me get through this one because I haven’t been able to feel that feeling.
“I think it has made me angry that I haven’t been able to let it go. All the struggle has made me feel like, ‘I just wanna do what I love!’ you know?”
The tears returned, but so did the smile on Barber’s face.
“I feel like I’m in a therapist session right now,” she quipped, blotting the last few droplets falling over her low lids. “I feel like I’m in counselling.
“I know that with this win — I didn’t tell this to anybody in my life – but I feel like with this win, I’ll be a lot nicer and a lot more peaceful person to be around. As soon as I get to do what I love, I’ll probably be a more joyful person.”
More tears, but this time they were accompanied by smiles from her team standing in the shadows, and an acknowledgement that while she hadn’t previously told anyone her thoughts on how a victory this weekend could change things, she just told some of the most important people in her life, and they were all nodding in agreement as she spoke.
“It’s been hard,” she added, putting the finishing touches on her tears.
So, how does she feel about the women she’ll stand across from this weekend at UFC 323?
“What a subject change,” she boomed with a smile, acknowledging the forced and awkward pivot designed to steer away from her last 21 months and center things on the here and now. “In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t focused at all on Karine Silva.
Maycee Barber Looks Back On Her UFC Debut | UFC Connected
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Maycee Barber Looks Back On Her UFC Debut | UFC Connected
/
“This whole camp has been focused on me and just getting better and not getting better health-wise; it’s been getting better as an athlete. Getting better in training, getting better in every aspect of my game.
“Obviously, the coaches I have and the training partners that I have focus on her, what her game is, but for me, I just need to go out there and be the best version of myself,” she added. “Yes, we’ve watched some film, but really, I couldn’t care less about what she can do; I care about what I can do, and I’m gonna go out there and do everything I need to do to go out there and finish her.”
FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads
A shimmer returned to Barber’s eyes as she spoke about competing and her vision for how things will play out on Saturday night.
She smiled — genuinely, naturally, simply talking about getting to finally do the thing she loves that has been kept from her for so long, chipping away at that hardness and anger that has been built up over the last year-and-a-half.
“How good is it going to feel to…” I began to ask.
“It’s gonna feel great to get a finish and get my hand raised,” Barber responded before the question was even done being asked, so filled with excitement and anticipation that she had to just let it out.
After a harrowing ordeal that at times made her wonder if she would ever be able to compete again, Barber is finally ready to step back into the Octagon, get into a fistfight, and remind everyone that she’s very much a threat in the talent-rich flyweight division.
As for what the future holds…
“It’s gonna hold the belt.”
Mic drop. No further questions.
Welcome back, Maycee.
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 6, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!