UFC flyweight Maycee Barber wishes Roxanne Modafferi wouldn't have retired before a potential rematch against her.
Barber is set to face Montana De La Rosa at an upcoming UFC Fight Night event on April 23. She got back in the win column with a decision win over Miranda Maverick in her last fight at UFC Vegas 32.
Barber's first setback in the UFC came against Modafferi at UFC 246, as she lost the fight via unanimous decision and suffered a gruesome leg injury. She had to be carried out of the arena by her teammates following the fight's conclusion.
Modafferi announced her retirement before her last fight at UFC 271 against Casey O'Neill. Despite losing via a split decision, Modafferi seemed content to have her MMA career come to a close.
During an exclusive interview with MMA News' James Lynch, Barber expressed some frustration regarding Modafferi's opponent choice for her retirement fight.
"I meant to make a post to congratulate Roxy on a great career," Barber said. "Obviously as a fighter who fought her, and busted my knee up, I tried to get that fight back and asked for it back. But she was at the last fight of her career and she definitely wanted one that was gonna be in her favor, and I completely understand that."
Barber went on to explain why the Modafferi rematch being off the table going forward is a bit of a nuisance.
"Yeah, I mean, part of you is like, as a fighter, it sounds like a loss. But at the same time, I know how that fight went out (against Modafferi). So it's not like one, you know, if you go out and get beat down and you lose on a healthy body, and you're like, 'Dang, I lost, I wanna get that back.' I know I was compromised and I know where my heart was and how my body was. Honestly, that was her fight to win. Good for her. I'm not gonna lose sleep over it."
The loss to O'Neill was Modafferi's third straight on her way out of the sport. She last won against Andrea Lee last September via unanimous decision.
Barber is looking to be a mainstay in the flyweight division for years to come, similar to her former rival Modafferi. She'll look to continue her momentum later this year as she gets ready to make her 2022 debut.
How do you think Maycee Barber will perform in 2022?