“Future” is now: Fort Collins product Barber scores TKO in her UFC debut
The Future? It’s now, baby. Maycee Barber, a 20-year-old fighter out of Fort Collins dubbed “The Future,” made an explosive UFC debut late Saturday night at the Pepsi Center, defeating Hannah Cifers by TKO just 2:01 into the second round of her women’s strawweight bout.
“To be honest with you, it felt he same as every other fight I’ve done,” said Barber, one of three Colorado products on the card for UFC Fight Night 139, an event that also featured women’s welterweight Raquel Pennington (who lost by decision to Germainede Randamie) and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. “I just felt that I belong here.”
Barber (6-0, 1-0 UFC) made a powerful case in the octagon, landing 68 significant strikes to Cifers’ 41. The Future came in as one of the new faces to watch on a sneaky-good undercard, having yet to lose in five professional bouts coming into the event.
Barber was bigger, stronger and more aggressive from the outset, an approach that started to pay real dividends early in the second round. A body kick to Cifers — whose corner advised her to avoid the clinch against the taller Barber after Round 1 — opened things up. A flurry of elbows and ground-and-pound finished it.
With blood pouring from Cifers’ nose, the local strawweight continued to press, her kicks and well-timed elbows ripping the cut open wider. Cifers and Barber went down in a heap early in Round 2, with the older fighter attempting a triangle and then a heel hook, to no avail. Once the Coloradan squirted into a top position, dropping hammer after hammer, a stoppage was seemingly inevitable.
The end came after 15 more seconds of pummeling by Barber, and the fight was called.