This past Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC Jacksonville, we saw a big time matchup in the women’s flyweight division. “The Future” Maycee Barber (13-2) was looking for the biggest win of her career as she took on the always game Amanda Ribas (11-4).
Ribas had proven that she could contend with the best at both flyweight and strawweight during her run in the UFC. She was coming off a big win over Viviane Araujo which showed that she was going to be a tough challenge for Maycee Barber. Meanwhile, Barber had won four fights in a row leading into Saturday.
Without a doubt, Maycee Barber put on the best performance of her career on Saturday night. While Ribas had her moments as well and bloodied up the face of Barber, Barber was able to impose her will and do a tremendous amount of damage.
In the second round, Barber found herself on top and was raining down massive shots. Eventually, the referee saw enough and stopped the fight giving the TKO win to Barber at UFC Jacksonville.
What’s next after UFC Jacksonville?
As mentioned, this was the biggest win of Barber’s career. She’s now won five fights in a row and finds herself eighth in the updated rankings. The reality is that she’s only one or two quality wins away from being squarely in the title picture at 125 pounds.
So, what should be next for Barber? I think the UFC would be wise to give her another fight with someone right around her spot in the rankings. It would make sense to get one more quality win before jumping into a potential title eliminator.
In looking at the rankings, a fight that makes a lot of sense is a fight with Jennifer Maia. The former title challenger has won two straight fights and is ranked right behind Barber. That fight makes a ton of sense, but there’s also an option if the UFC wants to move her up in terms of ranked opponents.
Katlyn Chookagian could be an option. She’s ranked fifth and is currently not booked for a fight. A win over Chookagian would get Barber into the title picture immediately.