Tomorrow night in the co-main event of UFC 258, the women’s flyweight division will be on display. Top prospect, Maycee Barber (8-1), will be making her return against the tough, Alexa Grasso (12-3).
Maycee Barber’s nickname is exactly what the UFC thought of her. The promotion was building her up as the future of the division and perhaps a future challenger for the flyweight title. However, that was all derailed in her last fight.
Barber fought Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246 which was headlined by Conor McGregor. When it’s a Conor McGregor card, all eyes are on you as a fighter. The promotion had to be hoping for a Barber breakout performance.
Instead, Barber was pretty much dominated by Modafferi for the entire fight. Granted, Barber did tear her ACL in the first round which hindered her performance. She’s had a year to recover and she suggests that she’s back better than ever. Prior to that loss she was 3-0 with three knockouts in the UFC.
Standing across from Barber is Alexa Grasso. Grasso came into the UFC as a strawweight but has transitioned to the flyweight division. She made her flyweight debut in her last fight back in August. Grasso looked good in picking up the decision victory against Ji Yeon Kim.
She will come into this fight against Maycee Barber ranked fifteenth in the division. Despite the loss in her last performance, Barber is still ranked tenth in the division. Grasso is actually the betting favorite as of now.
UFC 258 Prediction
The UFC 258 co-main event is going to be decided for me in the first couple of minutes. I think it’ll all come down to the way that Maycee Barber looks early on. If she’s tentative, I think she could be in trouble tomorrow night.
Alexa Grasso has very good boxing and she’s very good from striking on the outside. If Barber is too tentative, I could see her getting outpointed over the course of three rounds by the sharp Alexa Grasso.
For Barber to be successful in this fight, she needs to fight with pressure and urgency. She doesn’t need to be reckless, but she needs to use her strength and power advantages. Barber needs to get on the inside with power shots and perhaps mix in some takedown attempts.
If Barber fights to her ability, I believe she will win at UFC 258. However, if she’s too relaxed on the outside, I believe Grasso can get the win. Ultimately, I believe we are going to see a good performance from Maycee Barber tomorrow night. I believe she’ll get this to the ground and lock in a choke to get a statement finish.
Prediction: Maycee Barber by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – Round 2